Five-story Brick Pagoda of Songnimsa Temple, Chilgok

This five-storey brick pagoda (jeontap) stands in front of the Daeungjeon Hall of Songnimsa Temple, built up from clay-fired bricks. The platform supporting the pagoda is made not of brick but of granite, arranged in a single tier; pillar shapes are carved at the corners and centre of each of its four sides. The pagoda body is built entirely of brick. The body stones from the second storey upward decrease only slightly in height, so the whole appears tall, yet the roof stones covering each body stone are relatively wide, giving the pagoda a stable, gentle character. The roof, apparently in consideration of the brick construction, was built with stepped courses not only on the underside eaves but also on the upper slopes. At the top a gilt-bronze finial survives; it was faithfully reproduced in its original form during dismantling and restoration work in 1959. Although a reproduction, it offers valuable evidence of the form of Unified Silla-period gilt-bronze finials. The exact date of construction of the five-storey brick pagoda of Songnimsa Temple is not clearly known, but on the basis of the reliquary set excavated from the pagoda and its stylistic features, it is presumed to date from the late seventh century, the early eighth century, or the ninth century.

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Where it is

Region

Chilgok, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물