Stone Lantern of Yongcheonsa Temple

It was designated as a Tangible Cultural Property on October 20, 1981. This stone lantern is located next to the three-story stone pagoda on the right side of the Daeungjeon Hall. The stone lantern not only serves to brighten the temple but also symbolizes the Buddha's light shining in all directions. This stone lantern was made during the Joseon Dynasty, and its size and structure are simple yet warm. It is made of mugwort stone (granite) and is 2.37m tall. Yongcheonsa Temple is the oldest temple in the west coast region, founded by the monk Haengeun during the Silla period. In front of the temple is a dragon spring, and it is said that a dragon ascended to heaven here, so it was called Yongcheon [龍泉], and a temple was built here and named Yongcheonsa. During the Korean War, it burned down and almost all relics disappeared, but fortunately this stone lantern remains intact, with only the two-eared turtle attached to the top of the pillar support stone being broken.

- About the form and shape of the stone lantern at Yongcheonsa Temple
This stone lantern is representative of Joseon-era stone lanterns, with its size and structure being rustic yet warm. The material is mugwort stone and the height is 2.38 m. A square light chamber stone is placed on top of an octagonal support stone, and a square roof stone is placed on top of that. The four walls of the light chamber have round light windows, and turtles are carved on the four corners of the roof stone; the shape is simple but refined. The turtle carvings are simply depicted, but their shape appears refined. The roof stone at the top of the stone lantern imitates the hip-and-gable roof style of wooden buildings (shaped like the character '八' when viewed from the side), which is a unique style. The inscription carved on the octagonal support stone at the bottom of the stone lantern states that it was made in the 11th year of King Sukjong's reign (1685) and reveals the names of the donors at that time.

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