Roofed pole or roofed pillar ( lt, stogastulpis, plural: ''stogastulpiai'', from ''stogas'' – 'roof' and ''stulpas'' – 'pole, pillar') is a traditional

Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...

wooden

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...

. They may have anywhere between one and three layers of stylized roofs. Roofed poles can be simple, or richly decorated. Nowadays the most common ornamentation are a distinctive blend of

Christian symbolism Christian symbolism is the use of symbols, including archetypes, acts, artwork or events, by Christianity. It invests objects or actions with an inner meaning expressing Christian ideas. The symbolism of the early Church was characterized by bei ...

and traditional solar, celestial, and nature motifs.Algirdo Šalkausko stebuklai iš medžio
/ref> Stogastulpiai, together with Lithuanian crosses, are common throughout

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

, and can be found in churchyards, village/town squares, cemeteries, farms, parks, in fields and woods, at cross-roads, and as

wayside shrine A wayside shrine is a religious image, usually in some sort of small shelter, placed by a road or pathway, sometimes in a settlement or at a crossroads, but often in the middle of an empty stretch of country road, or at the top of a hill or mo ...

s. File:Sveksnastogastulpis.jpg, A roofed pole in the

Švėkšna Švėkšna is a town in the Šilutė District municipality, 21 km northeast of Šilutė, Lithuania. It is the administrative center of Švėkšna elderate. There are 29 streets in the town. In the western part of the town flows the river Šv ...

town center File:Angiriai002.JPG, A roofed pole tipped with an ornate iron cross with floral motif. Angiras village, northwest of

Josvainiai Josvainiai (formerly pl, Jaswojnie, russian: link=no, Ясвойни, Ясвойне) is a small town in Kėdainiai district, central Lithuania. It is located on the Šušvė River 10 km southwest from Kėdainiai. In the town there is a C ...

. File:Alka stogastulpis 20060425.jpg, A roofed pole near Alkas,

Kretinga Kretinga (; german: Crottingen) is a City in Klaipėda County, Lithuania. It is the capital of the Kretinga district municipality. It is located east of the popular Baltic Sea resort town of Palanga, and about north of Lithuania's 3rd largest c ...

district, Lithuania. File:Savarina resize resize.JPG, A roofed pole near Savarina village,

Mažeikiai Mažeikiai (; Samogitian: ''Mažeikē''; lv, Mažeiķi) is a city in northwestern Lithuania, on the Venta River. It has a population of around 43,547, making it the eighth largest city in Lithuania. The city is the administrative center of Ma� ...

district, Lithuania. Note snake motif of roof "supports."

References

Architectural elements Architecture in Lithuania Lithuanian folk art {{lithuania-stub

See also

References