Simgoksa Temple Seven-story Stone Pagoda

This seven-storey stone pagoda stands in the courtyard in front of the Daeungjeon Hall of Simgoksa Temple, said to have been first founded by the Venerable Muyeom of Silla. It is said to have originally stood about 200 m from the temple before being moved to its present site. Seven roof stones are stacked above a single-tier base, topped with a small finial in the shape of a lotus bud, giving the whole pagoda a tall, slender appearance. On the base stone set upon the ground stone, an inverted lotus pattern and an upright lotus pattern are carved one above the other. The body stone and roof stone of each storey are cut from a single block, and the corner-pillar shapes are omitted from the body stones. The roof-stone supports are rendered in three tiers, and the eaves of the gently sloping roof stones curve slightly upward at the corners, a feature carrying on the tradition of Baekje pagodas. There are traces of later repairs to parts of the pagoda, and the base and body do not entirely harmonise with each other, but overall it clearly shows the style of stone pagodas from the late Goryeo to early Joseon period. As it combines the Goryeo-period style seen in its base, the Joseon-period style seen in its roof-stone supports, and the Baekje-period style of its roof stones, it is a valuable source for tracing the development of stone pagodas in the Iksan region.

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Where it is

Region

Iksan, Jeonbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산