This pagoda is located in front of the main hall of Chong¡¯wonsa Temple,
where a great deal of sutras in gold and silver can be found. From their
contents, the sutras are assumed to have been made in the late Koryo period.
However, it¡¯s not certain whether Chong¡¯wonsa Temple was built at the
same time. The decorations of this seven-story pagoda, such as the lotus
petal patterns and eye shape designs on the pedestal, show the typical
style of Koryo pagodas. The pedestal is double-layered. A square block
of stone that can be considered as the lower pedestal is set on the foundation
stone, which is almost buried in the ground. The lower flat top stone,
composed of three rectangular blocks, is decorated with four eye shape
designs engraved in two intaglio lines for each side surface. Five lotus
petal patterns decorate the upper surface of it across the pedestal. The
style of the slightly tilted lotus petal patterns, typical of the Koryo
period, gives an important clue in determining its age. The surface of
the second pedestal is constructed with four stone slabs; the front one
is long and those on both sides are short. The flat top stone on it is
a large stone slab decorated with five lotus petal patterns, which are
almost the same as those on the lower flat top stone, on each of the upper
and lower surfaces. Its four side surfaces also have four eye shape designs
for each side. They are similar to those on other pagodas in Kyonggi Province.
The body of the first story is low and adorned with corner posts expressed
in double lines. The roof stone looks peculiar without any support. The
bodies and roofs of the seven stories are formed in almost the same shape,
becoming successively smaller at a low rate. The pagoda is characteristic
of those of the Koryo period, especially in Kyonggi Province. |