Capital, from the Latin capitellum, diminutive of caput , i.e. head, is an architectural element placed as the end of a load-bearing structure, such as a pilaster or a column. The capital is usually decorated according to the canons of the Classical period and the relevant styles: Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, composite. In the Romanesque period, capitals were often decorated with figures and themes alluding to biblical stories or, in some cases, to fantastic and monstrous references.
