Samogitian Alkas

When in Sventoji, be sure to visit the Samogitian Alkas, located on a dune near the Energetikas Health Centre, at the end of Jonpaparcis Street. It is a pagan temple, restored in 1998, with a palaeoastronomical observatory built on Birutė hill in Palanga in the 15th century. During the restoration of the pagan shrine, wooden pillars carved by folk artists in Samogitian Alkas were erected, each corresponding to the names of gods and goddesses of Baltic mythology:
Thunder, Dawn, Zemyna, Austeia, Ondenis, Patrimpus, Patulus, the Devil, Leda, the Sun and the Moon.
As the sun sinks into the sea, the shadows cast by the pillars can be used to calculate the calendar festivals dating back to pagan times. Nowadays pagan festivals are celebrated here.
The Samogitian Alkas is a structure of religious and astronomical significance on a dune, consisting of 12 oak pillars. The pillars of the cave are dug in such a way that the shadows of the sun can be used to identify the festivals of the Baltic calendar. They are based on an original 2-metre-high wooden pillar discovered by Dr Rimutė Rimantienė during her archaeological expeditions, with an owl-like mask of the goddess carved on it. This structure was erected on the dune in 1998, thanks to the efforts of the Palanga branch of the Samogitian Culture Society, based on the archaeological data of the medieval (14th-15th centuries) skylight observatory on the Birutė hill in Palanga. The columns, carved by folk artists and creatively associated with the Baltic gods, are dedicated to Thunder, Dawn, Zemyn, Austeia, Ondenius, Patrimpus, Patulus, Velin and Lada. The twelve oak pillars on the dune are based on material from the excavations on Birutė carried out by archaeologist Vladas Žulkaus, professor at Klaipėda University. They are arranged in such a way that when the sun sets in the sea, the shadows cast by the pillars can be used to determine the days of the most important festivals in the calendar – Dew, Gander’s Day, Midsummer, Christmas, etc. Pagan festivals are organised by lovers of ancient Baltic culture and religion, and the goddesses Milda (13 May), Rasa (22 June) and Lygiaden (22 March) are celebrated here. The festival of Jorė (23 April) is known as the pagan festival of Palanga, which attracts attention with its rituals and ceremonies (amber dust is sacrificed by throwing it into a bonfire, and good wishes or secret wishes are expressed). The Samogitic Alkas in Sventoji is located on a dune, surrounded by beautiful scenery. It is believed that a wooden church from the settlement of Elijah once stood on the site of the Samogitian cave. It is said that the church was moved to Birutė Hill on the orders of Kęsgaila.
The members of the Palanga branch of the Samogitian Society, who built the cave in 1998 (sculptor S. Manomaitis), celebrate pagan festivals here.