Suseollu Pavilion, Jinan

Suseollu Pavilion was built in 1686 (the twelfth year of King Sukjong) and repaired in 1884 and 1888 (the twenty-first and twenty-fifth years of Emperor Gojong). It stands within a cave formed by natural bedrock, the building wedged into the irregular gap in the rock. Its use of a changbang — the member joining the tops of columns — curved upward, its yeondeung ceiling inside the room (an open ceiling left without a flat board, exposing the rafters), its use of a gap in the rock as an entrance, and the dramatic contrast of darkness and light experienced on the way in, together show an unconventional architectural form attempted at a time when regular, standard buildings predominated. In plan, both the upper and lower storeys of Suseollu are two kan across the front and one kan deep, similar in scale, but only the central one kan runs continuously through both storeys; the space above the entrance bay on the right of the lower storey is naturally connected to the floor (maru) bay of the upper storey, turning what would be outer space into inner space — an exceptional spatial arrangement. As a piece of pavilion architecture, Suseollu also pursues harmony with nature, using the terrain to build within a rock cave, with the front of the roof finished in tile and the rear in dolneowa (stone roof shingles), showing the architectural character of the region.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jinan, Jeonbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물