Beopsusaji Three-story Stone Pagoda, Seongju

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.1656

Category

Sites & Pagodas

Era

통일신라시대

Designated year

2010

Location

성주군, 경상북도— 경북 성주군 수륜면 백운리 1215-1번지

Coordinates

35.803289, 128.146679

This Three-story Stone Pagoda of Beopsusa Temple Site is situated in the former precincts of Beopsusa Temple, a Silla temple located in Seongju, constructed during the reign of King Aejang (r. 800-809). The temple, on a sloped lot in a valley of Gayasan Mountain, was built on a tiered stone embankment. The temple lot extends abut 150m north to south and 150cm east to west and is divided into three tiers. In the area below the stone embankment, presumed to have been the location of the main Buddhist hall, there is currently a village, and outside the village, the remains of flagpole supports, tangled with the root of an old tree. The stone pagoda is 5.8m in height, and the main body consisting of three levels is mounted on a two-tiered base. Although the pagoda no longer has its finial, its state of preservation is decent overall. This pagoda displays the typical characteristics of late 9th-century stone pagodas which were smaller in size than in preceding eras with a high-rising base section and had eye-shaped motifs in incised carving. On the other hand, the five-tiered support under the roof stone is a signature detail of a Silla pagoda. This pagoda is, therefore, likely to have been constructed sometime in the 9th century, at the time of the construction of Beopsusa Temple.

Location