[expand]Christianity attacked stogastulpiai as pagan idolatry requiring destruction. Missionaries demanded removal of protective figures, replacing them with crosses or Christian symbols. Some communities complied, felling ancient stogastulpiai and installing plain crosses marking conversion to new religion. Others resisted, maintaining traditional forms despite official prohibition, hiding stogastulpiai from clerical observation, or creating hybrid forms combining Christian symbols with traditional protective figures.
The adaptation strategies varied. Some carved crosses maintaining traditional stogastulpis form—vertical post with horizontal beam creating cross shape while preserving elevated protective presence at roof peak. Others carved Christian saints in mounted rider pose—Saint George replacing Perkūnas but maintaining protective warrior symbolism. Still others added Christian symbols to traditional forms—carving cross on rooster’s breast, placing halo around horse head, incorporating Christian prayers into geometric patterns.
Folk practice preserved deeper continuity. Even when stogastulpiai bore Christian symbols, the underlying protective understanding remained pre-Christian. The figures still warded against evil eye, still protected against lightning, still marked household boundaries. The theological framework shifted but practical spiritual function continued largely unchanged—testament to stogastulpiai’s deep embedding in Baltic material and spiritual culture.
[/expand]