Three-story Stone Pagoda at Wollamsa Temple Site, Gangjin

This three-storey stone pagoda remains on the site of Wollamsa Temple, standing with a three-storey body raised on a single-tiered base. The base was built by erecting pillar-shaped stones on the base stone and filling the gaps between them with slab stones, before topping it with a broad capstone. The first-storey body stone of the pagoda is very tall, while from the second storey up the height decreases sharply. The roof stones begin wider than the base, with three tiers of supports beneath them. The upper surface of the roof stones forms stepped tiers as in brick pagodas, and the eaves draw a broad, straight horizontal line before lifting lightly at the ends. All storeys of the pagoda body were made using the same technique, showing a gentle rate of diminution going upward. At the top of the pagoda, a single decorative stone remains, set above the finial base. Because of its location on former Baekje territory, this pagoda follows the Baekje style in many respects. Such features include the practice of building each storey of the base and body from separate stones, and the style in which the first-storey roof stone begins wider than the base, as in wooden pagodas. It may be compared with the Five-story Stone Pagoda at Jeongnimsa Temple Site in Buyeo (National Treasure), a representative Baekje pagoda, and it is a stone pagoda of great importance in the Jeolla region, both in scale and in style.

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Where it is

Region

Gangjin, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Treasure · 보물