Temple Site in Cheongun-dong, Gyeongju

Located in the middle of a rice paddy opposite Gyeongju World in the Bomun Tourist Complex, Gyeongju, two three-storey stone pagodas from the Unified Silla period, designated as treasures, stand here. The name of the temple and the date of its original construction are unknown, but since the pagodas follow the typical Silla style, the temple is presumed to date from the Unified Silla period. The two pagodas are identical in scale and form, with the one on the west better preserved. Excavation confirmed the sites of a geumdang (main hall), a lecture hall and a middle gate. Counting the space between pillars as one bay (kan), it was determined that the geumdang was five bays wide and five bays deep, the lecture hall eight bays wide and three bays deep, and the middle gate three bays wide and two bays deep. The overall temple site measures 79 m north–south and 61 m east–west from the middle gate to the lecture hall. Most of the relics unearthed during excavation were roof tiles; a large chimi, an ornamental finial that decorated both ends of the roof ridge, 58 cm high, is on display at the Gyeongju National Museum. The temple follows the twin-pagoda layout typical of the Unified Silla period, but it is unusual in having no covered corridors on either side of the geumdang. Since the pagodas are stylistically later than those at Gameunsa Temple Site, the temple's founding is presumed to date to the latter half of the eighth century. Note: the official name was changed from Gyeongju Cheongun-ri Temple Site to Gyeongju Cheongun-dong Temple Site, as announced on 28 July 2011.

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Where it is

Region

Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Historic Site · 사적