Abstract
<jats:p>This article examines the mythological ideas, symbols, images, and plots associated with housing and outbuildings, as well as the cosmogonic and protective motifs that are reflected in the carvings of the gates and architectural elements of the Chuvash house. The article is based on published works on the ethnography, mythology, and folk architecture of the Chuvash people in the 19th and early 21st centuries, as well as archival sources and the author's field materials collected in various years in the Chuvash Republic, the Republic of Tatarstan, the Ulyanovsk Region. The elements and zones of the dwelling, such as the door, walls, corners, and parts (locuses) of the house, as well as the smoke hole, played an important role in the organization of its sacred space. The eastern side of the house and yard was considered a sacred place where family rituals were performed. The carved ornamentation vividly reflects the mythological beliefs of the Chuvash people. The carvers used horn-shaped motifs, ornithonyms, and tiered borders (some analogy with the tiers of the world), numerous varieties of amulets, the image of a torch with a blazing flame (the cult of fire), and other subjects.</jats:p>