One of the Oldest Pagoda in China

The Four Gates Pagoda, built in 611 CE during the Sui Dynasty, is considered China’s oldest surviving pavilion-style stone pagoda. This square-shaped single-story structure stands 10.4 meters tall with sides measuring 7.4 meters. Each of its four walls features an identical arched doorway facing a cardinal direction. The pagoda’s interior contains a square central pillar with four Buddha statues dating to 544 CE (Eastern Wei Dynasty), suggesting the pagoda was built specifically to house these older sculptures. Distinguished by its 23-tiered pyramid-shaped roof supported by five stone eaves and topped with a stone steeple, this pagoda represents a significant transition in Chinese architectural history when stone and brick began replacing wood in pagoda construction. 四门塔建于隋代大业七年（611年），被认为是中国现存最古老的亭阁式石塔。这座单层方形石塔高10.4米，每边长7.4米，四面开有完全相同的拱形门洞，分别朝向四个方向。塔内有一个方形塔心柱，上置四尊佛像，这些佛像可追溯至东魏武定二年（544年），表明该塔可能是为安置这些更早期的佛像而建。塔顶呈金字塔形，由23层石板叠筑而成，下有五层石檐支撑，顶部有石质塔刹。四门塔代表了中国古建筑从木质向石砖结构转变的重要历史阶段。 3D scene captured by XGrids L2