What is the back of a church called?

The chancel is generally the area used by the clergy and choir during worship, while the congregation is in the nave.

When was a pulpit first used in church?

Pulpit, in Western church architecture, an elevated and enclosed platform from which the sermon is delivered during a service. Beginning in about the 9th century two desks called ambos were provided in Christian churches—one for reading from the Gospels, the other for reading from the Epistles of the New Testament.

What are the different parts of a church called?

The names for the parts of the church are in red after each number.

• Narthex.
• Façade towers.
• Nave.
• Aisles.
• Transept.
• Crossing.
• Altar.
• Apse.

What is the difference between pulpit and altar?

As nouns the difference between pulpit and altar is that pulpit is a raised platform in a church, usually enclosed, where the minister or preacher stands to conduct the sermon while altar is a table or similar flat-topped structure used for religious rites.

What is the pulpit area of a church called?

Location of pulpit and lectern In many Christian churches, there are two speakers’ stands at the front of the church. Often, the one on the left (as viewed by the congregation) is called the pulpit. Since the Gospel lesson is often read from the pulpit, the pulpit side of the church is sometimes called the gospel side.

What is the name of the stage in a church?

chancel
Generically, it’s called the stage. In strictly church-specific terms, it’s called the chancel. I bring up the term chancel because I think it’s too easy to view the front of the sanctuary as “a stage where the musicians and pastor work” instead of how it should be viewed; “a place where God is worshiped.”

What is the pulpit called in a Catholic church?

ambo
ambo, in the Christian liturgy, a raised stand formerly used for reading the Gospel or the Epistle, first used in early basilicas. Originally, the ambo took the form of a portable lectern.

Why is a pulpit called that?

A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin pulpitum (platform or staging). From the late medieval period onwards, pulpits have often had a canopy known as the sounding board, tester or abat-voix above and sometimes also behind the speaker, normally in wood.

What are the three parts of the church?

Churches Militant, Penitent, and Triumphant – Wikipedia.

What does a pulpit symbolize?

In many Evangelical Christian churches, the pulpit stands squarely in the centre of the platform, and is generally the largest piece of church furniture. This is to symbolise the proclamation of the Word of God as the central focus of the weekly service of worship.

What is the room behind the altar called?

sacristy
sacristy, also called vestry, in architecture, room in a Christian church in which vestments and sacred objects used in the services are stored and in which the clergy and sometimes the altar boys and the choir members put on their robes.

What was the purpose of the pulpit in the church?

Pulpit. Pulpit, in Western church architecture, an elevated and enclosed platform from which the sermon is delivered during a service. Beginning in about the 9th century two desks called ambos were provided in Christian churches—one for reading from the Gospels, the other for reading from the Epistles of the New Testament.

When was the first mention of a pulpit?

The first reference to a pulpit does not appear until a letter in the third century AD . During the Middle Ages, pulpits became commonplace, but were not typically used much for sermons because the sacraments were more important to the Catholic Church.

Where is the pulpit located in a cruciform church?

In a cruciform church, with the altar traditionally at the east end, the pulpit may be geographically located on the north side of the nave. Often it is erected against a pillar and sometimes upon a short, free-standing base or slender column. Usually hexagonal or octagonal in form, it is reached by a short flight of steps.

What should be placed in front of a Catholic pulpit?

Elements of decoration shared between Catholic and Protestant denominations are the flowers that may be placed in front of the pulpit, and the antependium or “pulpit fall”, a piece of cloth that covers the top of the book-stand in the pulpit and hangs down a short way at the front.