Namgyewon Temple Seven-Tier Pagoda

SOUTH KOREA, Seoul

The pagoda, was once located at Namgyewon Temple in Gaesong. According to inscriptions, the pagoda was built in 1283. It was relocated to Gyeongbokgung Palace in 1916 and was moved again in 2005 to the new site of the National Museum of Korea, where it is on display. It was listed as National Treasure No. 100 in 1962.
The 9.3 m high seven-tier pagoda stands on a two-layer base that is made of many pieces of stone. Above the base, each tier of the pagoda body and each eave is made of a single slab of stone. A false door is carved on the northern side of the first tier. The size of each tier gradually decreases with height. The eaves are thick and their corners are slightly upturned. Under each eave there are three layers of corbeling in decreasing sizes. The spire at the top is partly damaged, with only the harmika and an inverted bowl remaining. This pagoda is an excellent example of a multi-tier stone pagoda from the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392).
When the pagoda was being moved to the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, seven scrolls of the Lotus Sutra transcribed in silver on indigo blue paper were found inside the pagoda. These scrolls were dated to the year 1283. They are currently stored at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul.