Summary

The features of architecture in the area of Kamajai

Marija Rupeikienė, Antanas Rupeika

The sites studied in the area of the former Kamajai Valsčius are as follows: Kamajai with adjacent Kariūnai and Žeimiai, Duokiškis, Greviškiai, Petrošiškis and Salos. The pivot in a plan of Kamajai is a wide central Antanas Strazdas square with four main streets of this town meeting in it. The main values of cultural heritage are these: a Catholic church with parsonage homestead buildings and old stone masonry houses at the square. The exterior of the Kamajai Church is of modest Neo-Gothic forms, while its interior is splendid with original décor elements. The parsonage also has original décor elements, and the almshouse is of typical volume and plan and traditional architecture. One can see interesting wooden houses of traditional architecture notable for original details in the town. South of it, there is the settlement of Kariūnai, while the Kamajai manor homestead is slightly away at the Svėdasai-Duokiškis crossing of roads. There are six buildings there: an estate, icehouse, a cow-house, a barn, a farm building and the remains of a water tower.

The architecture of all three sacral buildings in Duokiškis is simple and of traditional forms. But the church is of original plan and interior space. The belfry is of traditional architecture matching the forms of the church. The architecture of the storehouse (chapel) resembles that of the church and the belfry. Between Kamajai and Petrošiškis, there is a village of Žeimiai, where Kazys Šešelgis (1915–1998) is born.

The closed representative area of the Petrošiškis Estate has two living houses, a barn and a cellar. There are three outhouses between the fence and the road. The estate is renovated following the proportions, size and forms of openings of the former building. Only a cow-house remained from the Greviškiai manor homestead.

Now the Salos manor ensemble consists of 11 buildings: the estate, a steward house, a bath–laundry, a barn–icehouse, a forge, two farmhand buildings, a cow-house, a cellar–storehouse, a church, a chapel and a park. The estate is notable for a classicistic main facade and wings of historicism period, variety of forms and details; in its interior, painting fragments of the classicism epoch and the historicism period intertwined with forms and details characteristic of the Neo-Gothic. The larger farm and cow-houses are of original architecture, where traditional architecture features intertwine with classicism elements in the exterior.

The cow-house is notable for its monumental volume and original architecture. The Salos Church is a building of the historicism period with Neo-Gothic forms prevailing in it. However there are also order elements in the facade and interior. The chapel is of laconic ethnical architecture forms. The Park is situated in the eastern part of the peninsula along the southern lake shores and extends eastwards from he estate in about 7 hectare area.