Bunhwangsa

An ancient Buddhist temple in Gyeongju founded in the 7th century during the Silla kingdom, once one of the great monasteries of the old capital. Its most celebrated feature is a large stone pagoda built of cut andesite blocks laid to resemble brick, the oldest datable pagoda of its kind in Korea, guarded at its base by carved stone lions and door guardians. Though much of the complex is gone, the surviving pagoda conveys the scale of early Silla architecture, in a quiet setting near the old palace grounds.