Five-story Stone Pagoda of Magoksa Temple, Gongju

Basic information

Designation

National Treasure No.348

Category

Sites & Pagodas

Era

고려시대

Designated year

2025

Location

공주시, 충청남도— 충남 공주시 사곡면 마곡사로 966, 마곡사 (운암리)

Coordinates

36.543200, 126.910800Museum-based location

This English description was machine-translated and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the original Korean text for details.

Five-Story Stone Pagoda of Magoksa Temple, Gongju. The Five-Story Stone Pagoda of Magoksa Temple in Gongju — a UNESCO World Heritage site listed under 'Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries in Korea' — is a late Goryeo period (c. 14th century) stone pagoda. Based on the execution of the four directional Buddhas carved on the second-story pagoda body, it is estimated to date from the late Goryeo period. Particularly remarkable is the gilt-bronze reliquary pagoda (height 1.8 m) placed atop the fifth-story roof stones, which reproduces the Lama-style Buddhist stupa form popular in Yuan-dynasty China. Unique among Korean stone pagodas and nicknamed 'a pagoda atop a pagoda,' this gilt-bronze reliquary is noted for its refined craftsmanship and outstanding technical and artistic completion, representing international Buddhist cultural exchange of the period. The double-tier platform follows the Baekje-lineage stone pagoda tradition, and the crab-eye-shaped arabesque designs (해목형 안상) carved in relief on the pagoda base stones are the earliest known examples among surviving stone pagodas.

Location