Makna Simbolik Akulturasi Jawa–Melayu–Kolonial Pada Arsitektur Masjid Betri Ponorogo: Perspektif Semiotika Roland Barthes

Abstract

This article examines the symbolic meanings of Javanese–Malay–colonial acculturation in the
architecture of Betri Mosque, a small mosque in Manuk Village, Siman, Ponorogo, whose
foundation inscription dates it to 1931. Using a qualitative, interpretive approach with a
historical orientation, the study combines field observation, photographic documentation,
interviews, and a review of colonial maps and literature. Roland Barthes’ two orders of
signification (denotation and connotation) and his concept of myth are used to read the
building’s main groups of signs. The results show that Javanese elements (the regol gate, the
kantil motif, bird finials) provide the mosque’s outward form; carvings associated with Malay
ornament (semut beriring, Muhammad bertangkup) appear on the drum and the pulpit; and
Indies colonial elements (louvered doors, thick walls, encaustic tiles, a bell) signal modernity.
Together they sustain a myth of cultural harmony. The readings are interpretive and still need
confirmation from informants and archival evidence.