Gyeongcheonsa Pagoda is National Treasure of Korea No. 86. It was designated by the South Korean government on December 20, 1962. An inscription on the first story of the

pagoda A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...

states that it was erected in the fourth year of King Chungmok in 1348. The pagoda was first placed at the now-lost Gyeongcheonsa Temple which sat at the foot of Mt. Buso in Gwangdeok-myeon, Gaepung-gun, Gyeonggi-do Province. During the Japanese occupation of Korea, in 1907 the pagoda was taken to Japan. In 1918, the pagoda was returned and placed on the grounds of

Gyeongbokgung Gyeongbokgung (), also known as Gyeongbokgung Palace or Gyeongbok Palace, was the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty. Built in 1395, it is located in northern Seoul, South Korea. The largest of the '' Five Grand Palaces'' built by the Joseo ...

Palace. Today, the pagoda stands in one of the main halls of the

National Museum of Korea The National Museum of Korea is the flagship museum of Korean history and art in South Korea and is the cultural organization that represents Korea. Since its establishment in 1945, the museum has been committed to various studies and research ...

. The pagoda stands 13.5 m in height and is ten storeys tall. However, because of the three-tiered foundation, it is a common mistake to believe that the pagoda has thirteen storeys. Unlike most

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificat ...

-era pagodas, this pagoda is made from marble. The preferred material of Korean sculptors was generally granite. The later Joseon-era

Wongaksa Pagoda Wongaksa Pagoda is a twelve metre high ten storey marble pagoda in the center of Seoul, South Korea. It was constructed in 1467 to form part of Wongaksa temple, that King Sejo had founded two years before on the site of an older Goryeo-period tem ...

is stylistically very similar and is believed to have been heavily influenced by the Gyeongcheonsa Pagoda. Gyeongcheonsa Pagoda sits on a three-tiered foundation which projects in four directions like a cross. The first three storeys of the pagoda share the same shape as the foundation. Each panel of this tiered foundation is carved with Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, flowers, and arabesque patterns. The remaining storeys are square in shape and share intricate detailing which tries to create the illusion that the marble pagoda is made from wood. Each remaining storey has railings, a hip-and-gabled roof, eaves, and carvings made to suggest that each roof is tiled.http://www.buddhism.org/board/read.cgi?board=glossary&y_number=41&nnew=1 This pagoda is very valuable because it preserves the Goryeo-era wooden architectural style that has been mostly lost. According to the South Korean

Cultural Heritage Administration The Cultural Heritage Administration () or CHA, formerly the Cultural Properties Administration, is the agency of the South Korean government charged with preserving and promoting Korean cultural heritage. It is headquartered in the city of Dae ...

, this pagoda is one of the finest examples of Korean stone work and is of high artistic value.

Gallery

File:개성 경천사지 십층석탑 04.jpg

References

External links

Cultural Heritage: Gyeoncheonsa Pagoda
{{coord missing, South Korea Korean pagodas Stone pagodas Korean art National Treasures of South Korea Pagodas in South Korea

Gallery

See also

References

External links