Gameunsa Temple Site (Historical Site No. 31)

The Gameunsa Temple Site sits near the coast about 30 km east of central Gyeongju. King Munmu began to build a temple at the site to prevent invasion by Japanese troops, but he died before its completion. It was completed in 682 by his son, King Sinmun (r. 681-692), in accordance with King Munmu’s wishes. The Daejongcheon Stream flows in front of temple and joins the sea to the east, where the Underwater Tomb of King Munmu sits off the coast. This is why Gameunsa Temple is regarded as a prayer hall for King Munmu. During the Silla dynasty, it was one of the seven Administrative Organizations of the Royal Memorial Monasteries, which were in charge of religious rites for the royal families. Both King Hyegong and King Gyeongmun, as well as King Sinmun, visited the temple to see the sea under which their royal progenitor was buried. Gameunsa Temple remained in operation until late Goryeo, but it collapsed during the Joseon period.
The National Museum of Korea found vestiges of a golden hall, an auditorium, and corridors in 1959 while conducting a survey and excavation at the site. Over the next year, it undertook repair work on the West Three-story Stone Pagoda, whose stylobate had been severely damaged. In 1996, the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage repaired the East Three-story Stone Pagoda.