Three-story Stone Pagoda of Seonamsa Temple

This small stone pagoda, standing in the yard beside Geungnakjeon Hall at Seonamsa Temple, consists of only three roof stones. Given the size and shape of the pagoda's members and the rate at which they diminish in scale, the stones are judged to be the roof stones of the first, second and third storeys of a single three-story pagoda. The lower part of the first-storey roof stone, where it meets the ground, is largely buried in soil, but it has four tiers of roof-stone supports, and the stonework of the eaves and supports is generally well finished. Judging from its carving technique, the pagoda is thought to have been made in the Goryeo period, particularly its latter half. According to a 1868 restoration record contained in the Collection of Joseon Temple Materials and the 1938 Draft History of Busan-bu, Seonamsa Temple was originally Gyeongangsa Temple, founded in 803, the fourth year of King Aejang of Silla, in Dongpyeong-hyeon; in 1400, the second year of King Jeongjong, it was relocated to the north-east of Busanpo and renamed Seonamsa. This suggests that the three-story pagoda was likewise built in the Goryeo period and originally stood within the grounds of Gyeongangsa, before being moved to Seonamsa along with the temple's relocation. With no other record of Seonamsa's history surviving, the pagoda is valued as precious evidence for gauging the temple's history. This three-story pagoda, located at Seonamsa, one of Busan's leading old temples, was made in the Goryeo period. Although only the roof stones remain — the base, body stones and finial having been lost — so that it no longer retains its original overall form, it is the oldest relic and a valuable record for assessing the history of Seonamsa.

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Where it is

Region

Busanjin-gu, Busan

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료