Sudeoksa Temple

The Daeungjeon at Sudeoksa is the reason architects come to this valley: built in 1308 and carrying an inscription that dates it, it is the oldest wooden building in Korea whose construction year is documented, and it survived the invasions that destroyed almost everything else of its age. The interest is in how it is made. The side elevations are left unplastered so the whole timber frame is visible from outside - the curved beams, the bracket sets on the columns rather than between them, the proportions of a Goryeo hall before later styles piled on decoration. Inside are wall paintings of the same period, among the oldest in the country. The rest of the compound is a working Jogye monastery on the slope of Deoksungsan with a hermitage above and a path continuing to the summit. A templestay runs here. It is ticketed, with a walk up from the gate through the temple street.

What you actually see

• Daeungjeon - the 1308 hall, dated by inscription.
• The exposed frame - side walls left open to show the timberwork.
• The Goryeo wall paintings - inside the main hall.
• The mountain path - hermitage and summit above the compound.

When to go

April to June and October. Weekday mornings are quiet; the autumn weekends fill. Buddha's Birthday in May brings lanterns and crowds.

Honest expectations

The value here is architectural and easy to miss if you do not know what to look at. Photography inside the hall is restricted. Ticketed, with a shop-lined street on the approach.

Nearby

The Seosan rock-carved Buddha triad and Haemieupseong are within a short drive; Deoksan hot springs are close.