Sungseonsa Temple Site, Chungju

Sungseonsa was a temple built in 954, the fifth year of King Gwangjong of Goryeo, by King Gwangjong to pray for the repose of his mother, Queen Sinmyeongsunseong. Roof tiles inscribed with the characters 崇善寺 (Sungseonsa), found near the temple site, confirm that this was indeed Sungseonsa. Three seasons of excavation (2000-2002) by the Chungcheong University Museum identified remains including the site of a pagoda and a cloister in addition to the main hall. The temple is thought to have been repaired on three occasions after its original construction. The layout of the temple follows a typical Goryeo-period arrangement, with the sites of the south gate, pagoda, main hall, memorial shrine, cloister and east gate clearly identifiable. Detailed remains of the buildings, such as the granite stone foundations, pillar bases, foundation stones for pillar centres, stone drainage channels, brick-paved surfaces, a paved walkway, the pagoda's foundation core, a well and ondol heating remains, are preserved in their original form, so that the site needs to be preserved as an architectural relic of the Goryeo period, and it holds very great value as historical material for the history of Korean architecture. The excavated artefacts include roof tiles inscribed with 崇善寺 (Sungseonsa), a gilt-bronze bodhisattva head, a bronze bell, mojeong (roof-tile fixing nails), a buncheong-ware jangun (a barrel-shaped flask), celadon bowls, white porcelain bowls, goblin-mask tiles, chimi (owl-tail roof ornaments), dragon-head ornaments and roof-tile end pieces; most of these artefacts date from the Goryeo period, and they correspond consistently with the temple site. At the entrance to the site stands a flagpole support, and there are also several private houses nearby, so that the name of the village has been handed down as Sungseon Village. Excavation has confirmed that the Sungseonsa Temple Site is a Goryeo-period temple relic, and as the remains are well preserved, it holds great historical and academic value.

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Where it is

Region

Chungju, Chungbuk

Designation

Historic Site · 사적