Five-story Stone Pagoda in Seongbuk-ri, Seocheon

This pagoda, built during the Goryeo period, has strong local characteristics. Like other pagodas erected in the former territory of Baekje, it imitates the style of the Five-story Stone Pagoda at Jeongnimsa Temple Site in Buyeo (a national treasure), and follows it more faithfully than any other. The base, set on a foundation stone, has corner pillars in the manner of the pillars and walls of wooden architecture, with the spaces between the pillars filled by flat stone slabs. The body of the pagoda likewise has its body stones fitted with separate pillars and walls as in the base, each face narrower at the top and wider at the bottom, forming a trapezoidal shape. Above the body stone, before the roof stone, two tiers of roof-support stones are placed, a feature reminiscent of the Five-story Stone Pagoda at Jeongnimsa Temple Site. The pillars of the first-storey body stone press down on the base below and support the roof-support stones above, giving the appearance of a figure wearing shoes and a crown. The roof stones are thin and broad, with a gentle slope; the underside of the slope is level but curves slightly upward at both ends as if supporting something above. At the top, the finial consists of stones of varying size stacked in the shape of a noban (a plate-shaped support for the finial), topped with a square stone. Overall, the detailed style shows clear effort to follow the Five-story Stone Pagoda at Jeongnimsa Temple Site in Buyeo, but the balance is disrupted by roof stones that are excessively large in relation to the body stones, and by the body stones of the second storey and above, which are suddenly much smaller than those of the first storey. Nevertheless, it holds a very important place in tracing the routes by which the Baekje-style pagoda tradition spread through the regions, making it a valuable work.

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Where it is

Region

Seocheon, Chungnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물