Gohung Seongbulsa Stone Buddha Statue Likely to Be Designated as Jeonnam Province Tangible Cultural Property

You Can See a Religious Aspect of the Goryeo Period in the Goheung Region

[Goheung=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Shim Jeong-woo] Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Gong Young-min) announced on the 5th that the ‘Goheung Seongbulsa Stone Seated Buddha Statue’ has been preliminarily designated as a Tangible Cultural Property of Jeollanam-do.

The ‘Goheung Seongbulsa Stone Seated Buddha Statue’ is a stone Buddha statue enshrined in the Mireukjeon Hall of Seongbulsa Temple located in Bongryong-ri, Dohwa-myeon, Goheung-gun. After a 30-day preliminary announcement period, it is scheduled to be confirmed as a Tangible Cultural Property of Jeollanam-do through the Cultural Heritage Committee’s review.

The stone seated Buddha statue, which was previously known as Mireukjeol, was erected after being found fallen down. In 1976, a protective pavilion was built, and the temple was named Seongbulsa. The statue has been enshrined as the main Buddha in the Mireukjeon Hall.

The statue features a natural stone shaped into a halo representing the sacred light emanating from the Buddha’s body, with the seated Buddha carved in the center. It has a square-shaped face, narrow shoulders, a robe covering both shoulders, ‘U’-shaped folds in the clothing, with the left hand lowered and the right hand raised to the chest, forming a hand gesture with the thumb and index finger bent.

It shows typical characteristics of the early Goryeo period and reflects the faith of local people who pursued Mireuk belief, making it an important resource for understanding Buddhist art and culture in the Goheung area. Additionally, due to its large size, excellent artistic quality, and relatively good preservation state, it has been highly evaluated as worthy of designation as a cultural property.

A Goheung-gun official stated, “We plan to continuously promote the comprehensive survey of Goheung’s cultural heritage and assign value to it,” adding, “It is a time when the interest of the residents in traditional cultural heritage is more necessary.”

Goheung=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Shim Jeong-woo hss79@asiae.co.kr

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.