When you take a walk down the streets of Gwanghwamun, you run into a group of buildings. The Twin Tree Towers, where the Embassy of Japan and the Embassy of Jordan are located, is one such group. You might imagine other twin buildings like the Twin Tree Towers. Some might imagine an apartment complex where similar-looking apartments are gathered or the World Trade Center in the U.S., which collapsed after the September 11 attacks. However, it is hard to imagine twin buildings from the history of the East and West. This article will introduce you to twin buildings from the past and will analyze some common features and differences.

The Twin Buildings of Korea- Buseoksa Temple of Yeonju and Seosan

The Buseoksa temples in Yeonju and Seosan are twin temples in Korea. The Buseoksa temple of Yeonju is more famous than Seosan’s Buseoksa temple, because it has Muryansujeon, which is a national treasure located at Buseoksa in Yeonju. Despite this difference and the distance between them, Buseoksa temple in Yeonju and Seosan share the same foundational tale.

A monk named Eu-Sang from the Silla Dynasty, went to Tang to study Buddhism. A lady named Sun-Meow loved him and told him of her love when he tried to return to Silla. Eu-Sang rejected her desire because he was a monk, so she understood his reason and threw herself into the ocean. Then, the dead Sun-Meow changed into a dragon and protected the monk when he went back to Silla. The monk arrived at Silla and tried to build a temple to console Sun-Meow’s spirit. He found a fine place to build the temple, but the residents objected to the building. When they tried to tear down the temple, a rock rose up and scolded them. The rock flew in the air and protected the temple until its completion. The local residents were afraid and never came back to touch the temple. The monk thought that Sun-Meow became a dragon, made the stone rise and helped him, so he named the temple Buseoksa temple (Buseok means rising rock in Korean).

There is another difference between these temples regarding the rising rock’s existence. There is a rock believed to be the one Sun-Meow made rise in the Buseoksa temple in Yeonju. However, there isn’t any rock in Buseoksa temple in Seosan. Instead, a rock island that sinks underwater and rises repeatably, exists at Buseoksa temple of Seosan.

The Twin Buildings of Rome- Santa Maria in Montesanto& Santa Maria dei Miracoli

The Santa Maria in Montesanto and the Santa Maria dei Miracoli are in the Piazza del Popolo in Rome. The name of the Piazza del Popolo means a square for the people. The symbol of the piazza is a 36meter long Flaminio Obelisk which Augustus (the first emperor of the Roman Empire) brought in 1^st century B.C. to celebrate the conquest of Egypt. It is located in the center of the piazza. When you look at the Santa Maria in Montesanto and the Santa Maria dei Miracoli at the Piazza del Popole, the figure and size of them are similar. There are many common features between them, but their real sizes and detailed features are quite different.

Although both the Buseoksa temples as well as the Santa Maria in Montesanto and the Santa Maria dei Miracoli are considered twin buildings, the reasons for these considerations are different. The Santa Maria in Montesanto and the Santa Maria dei Miracoli’s similarities are based on their external features. They are built in a similar time period, so their designs are based on Renaissance architecture which is the reason they have similar features. On the other hand, the Buseoksa temples are different. It is hard to compare their external similarities because they are located so far from each other and the size of the temples are very different. The similarity of these temples is their origin, from a spiritual basis that underlines the common foundational tale of both. It means even though twin buildings can be called twins, the standard for that judgment can be different!

Heo Junyoung  gyunz0224@naver.com

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