Jeongnimsa Temple Site

In an open field in the middle of Buyeo stands a stone pagoda that has kept its place for almost 1,400 years. Jeongnimsa Temple Site was the main temple of the period when Sabi (today's Buyeo) was the Baekje capital (538–660), and its five-storey stone pagoda, a National Treasure, is one of only two Baekje stone pagodas still standing, the other being at Mireuksa in Iksan. In 2015 the site became part of the UNESCO World Heritage property "Baekje Historic Areas".

History: a Goryeo roof tile gave away the name

The temple seems to have been placed deliberately in the centre of the capital, in relation to the royal palace, when Sabi was laid out. It survived the fall of Baekje and remained in use into the Goryeo period. For centuries no one knew its original name, until excavations in 1942 uncovered a roof tile inscribed "8th year of Taepyeong, Mujin year, Jeongnimsa Daejangdang". That date corresponds to 1028, under King Hyeonjong of Goryeo, when a new hall seems to have been built over the old lecture hall. Further excavations followed in 1979–1980 and 2008–2010, and the site was designated a Historic Site in 1983.

What to see

• Five-storey stone pagoda (National Treasure): five storeys rise from a single low, narrow base. The corner pillars bulge slightly in the middle (the entasis technique), and the thin, wide roof stones lift gently at the corners, giving the proportions of a timber building translated into stone.
• The inscription: the first storey carries a text carved by the Tang general Su Dingfang to celebrate his conquest of Baekje. Because of it the pagoda was once wrongly called "the pagoda commemorating the subjugation of Baekje", but the text was added long after the pagoda was built.
• Seated stone Buddha (Treasure): a Goryeo-era statue sitting inside a protective hall built in 1993.
• Temple layout: middle gate, pagoda, main hall and lecture hall stand in a single north–south line, the classic one pagoda, one main hall plan. Unusually, the cloister around them forms a trapezoid that widens to the north rather than a square. The pond in front of the middle gate, revealed by excavation, has been restored.

Good to know

• Finds from the site include decorated Baekje and Goryeo roof tiles, a Baekje inkstone and small clay Buddha figures.
• The Jeongnimsaji Museum next to the site explains Baekje Buddhism and the pagoda's construction; seeing it first makes the details easier to spot outside.

Nearby

• Busosanseong Fortress: about 1.3 km north, 20-odd minutes on foot, with forest paths to Nakhwaam cliff and Goransa Temple.
• Gungnamji Pond: a pond traditionally said to have been made under King Mu of Baekje, busiest in the summer lotus season.
• Buyeo National Museum: the national museum of Baekje finds, including the famous Gilt-bronze Incense Burner. Seen with Jeongnimsa, it brings Sabi-era Buyeo into focus.
• Mireuksa Temple Site, Iksan: home to the other surviving Baekje stone pagoda, around 40 minutes by car.

Tripto tips

• Opening hours: the temple site with the pagoda is always open. The Jeongnimsaji Museum opens 09:00–18:00 from March to October and 09:00–17:00 from November to February, and is closed on Mondays, 1 January and on Seollal and Chuseok days.
• Admission and parking: currently listed as free, with free parking.
• Time needed: 45 to 90 minutes for the museum and the site together.
• Combine with: you can walk on to Busosanseong Fortress, Buyeo National Museum and Gungnamji Pond. Late afternoon light falling across the pagoda is best for photos.