Sinsedong Seven-Story Brick Pagoda

Sinsedong Seven-story Brick Pagoda is both the oldest and largest brick pagoda in Korea. 

The site where the pagoda stands is known as Beopheung-ri, because of this, it’s assumed that the brick pagoda belonged to the Beopheung Temple. However, there are no other remains of the temple complex left. The area is now the site of Imcheonggak Shrine.The pagoda stands on a single-step pedestal composed of brick. The seven stories of the pagoda’s body are made of plain, dark gray bricks. Images of the Eight Heavenly Deities and the Four Guardian Kings are carved in granite on each side of the pedestal. 

On the southern side of the pedestal, there are a set of stairs leading to the shrine on the first floor. The roof stones of the pagoda have marks that show there were roofing tiles on its upper side when first constructed, a very different form of construction from what is common for brick pagodas in Korea, where the upper and lower roof stones are usually staircase-shaped.