Seungseongyo Bridge of Seonamsa Temple, Suncheon

Seungseongyo Bridge, spanning the stream at the entrance to Seonamsa Temple, was built in 1707 by the monks Yakhyu, Taeso, and Danyeon. It was later repaired in 1713 due to water damage and renovated in 1927 and 2002-2003.

The stone bridge has an exceptionally sturdy foundation capable of withstanding even the strongest of floods despite being built atop a natural stone outcrop without any supporting structures. The bridge's arch consists of about 140 stones, which decrease in size from bottom to top. The arch's central stone is decorated with a dragon head sculpture, and it is said that removing this stone will cause the bridge to collapse. The name Seungseongyo means "Bridge to the Immortal's Land." In Buddhism, the Buddha is also referred to as the Golden Immortal, while bridges are regarded as passages from the world of sentient beings to the world of the Buddha.

Source: Korea Heritage Service signboard ↗ · collected 2026-10-08