narthex, long, narrow, enclosed porch, usually colonnaded or arcaded, crossing the entire width of a church at its entrance.
What do you call the front porch of a church?
The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church’s main altar.
What is the entry to a church called?
nave, central and principal part of a Christian church, extending from the entrance (the narthex) to the transepts (transverse aisle crossing the nave in front of the sanctuary in a cruciform church) or, in the absence of transepts, to the chancel (area around the altar).
What is the meaning of church porch?
A church porch is a room-like structure at a church’s main entrance. A porch protects from the weather to some extent.
What are parts of a church called?
The nave is the main part of the church where the congregation (the people who come to worship) sit. The aisles are the sides of the church which may run along the side of the nave. The transept, if there is one, is an area which crosses the nave near the top of the church.
What is the difference between a narthex and vestibule?
A vestibule is a passage, hall, or room between the outer door and the interior of a building, whereas the narthex is a porch or lobby that connects the outside to the main worship area.
What is the vestibule of a church?
A vestibule is a little area just inside the main door of a building, but before a second door. You often find vestibules in churches, because they help keep heat from escaping every time someone enters or exits.
What are the 5 parts of the church?
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 area in front of the altar called?
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building.
Why do churches have lych Gates?
A covered gate, usually at the entrance to a churchyard. The term lych evolved from the Saxon word for corpse, and the lych gate was traditionally a place where corpse bearers caried the body of a deceased person and laid it on a communal bier.
What are old churches made of?
In northern Europe, early churches were often built of wood, for which reason almost none survive. With the wider use of stone by the Benedictine monks, in the tenth and eleventh centuries, larger structures were erected. The two-room church, particularly if it were an abbey or a cathedral, might acquire transepts.
What are the three parts of the church?
the Church Triumphant, which consists of those who have the beatific vision and are in Heaven. These divisions are known as the “three states of the Church,” especially within Catholic ecclesiology.
What is a church facade?
The façade or “west front” is the most ornate part of the exterior with the processional doors, often three in number, and often richly decorated with sculpture, marble or stone tracery. The façade often has a large window, sometimes a rose window or an impressive sculptural group as its central feature.
What is the front of a Catholic church called?
In the Catholic Church, the altar is the structure upon which the Sacrifice of the Mass is offered.
What is another name for narthex?
foyer, lobby, entrance hall, vestibule, antechamber, anteroom, hall, portico.
What is the central walkway of a church called?
The central walkway is called the nave. The word aisle comes from Latin “ala” (meaning “wing”), so it probably describes the side walkways in a church.
What is a vestibule door?
A vestibule is a small, enclosed entry chamber that traditionally has served as a buffer in winter between indoors and outdoors, to trap air and minimize heat loss. Vestibules today also help keep air-conditioned air inside and hot air outside in summer.
What is an entrance foyer called?
A vestibule /ˈvɛstɪbjuːl/ (also, anteroom, antechamber, foyer) is a small room leading into a larger space such as a lobby, entrance hall or passage, for the purpose of waiting, withholding the larger space view, reducing heat loss, providing storage space for outdoor clothing, etc.
What is an entry room called?
A foyer is the first room you enter when walking through a front door, usually a smaller space or hallway. Traditionally, foyers are used to greet guests and welcome them into your home. A foyer often has a coat closet or adequate space to store all of your guests’ belongings.
What is the upper balcony in a church called?
A pew (/ˈpjuː/) is a long bench seat or enclosed box, used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, synagogue or sometimes a courtroom.
What is the chancel area of a church?
chancel, portion of a church that contains the choir, often at the eastern end. Before modern changes in church practice, only clergy and choir members were permitted in the chancel.
What is the difference between nave and sanctuary?
The Nave is a holy area and includes Sacred Objects which help the parishioners bring themselves to a holy state as they enter the Nave for celebration of the Mass. The Sanctuary is clearly distinguished from the rest of the church and is usually raised little above the level of the Nave.
What is a church gallery?
Generically speaking a gallery is a platform, raised above the church floor. Galleries were often located at the west end of the church, over the west door, and used to house musicians or singers performing during church services. For this reason they are sometimes called minstrel’s galleries or musician’s galleries.
What’s the difference between a gallery and a porch?
The difference between a veranda and porch — veranda is a roofed porch, while a porch is “attached to the house, covered or open, can be enclosed” — seems to be splitting hairs. A gallery is similar to a balcony but is supported by posts or columns from the ground.
What is a church Lychgate?
lych-gate, also spelled lich-gate, also called corpse gate, (from Middle English lyche, “body”; yate, “gate”) roofed-in gateway to a churchyard in which a bier might stand while the introductory part of the burial service was read.
How do you pronounce Lychgate?
ly·ch·gate.
What is chancel mean?
Definition of chancel
: the part of a church containing the altar and seats for the clergy and choir.
What is a common striking feature of a church?
In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religious structure.
What is the back room of a church called?
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.
Where is the aisle in a church?
In church architecture, an aisle (also known as an yle or alley) is more specifically a passageway to either side of the nave that is separated from the nave by colonnades or arcades, a row of pillars or columns. Occasionally aisles stop at the transepts, but often aisles can be continued around the apse.
What is a small church called?
chapel. noun. a small church, or a special room used as a church, where Christians can pray or worship.
Where is the altar in a church?
In traditional cruciform churches the altar stands in the middle of the east wall, at the top of the cross shaped building. The east wall location was originally chosen as it is the most holy part of the church – this is because the sun rises in the east and it was seen as symbolic of the resurrection .
What’s the difference between a steeple and a spire?
Steeple, implies, the turret of a church; be it of what form soever. By spire, is understood, a steeple, rising taper to the top. By tower, is implied, a square steeple. Spire, and, tower, then, are certain kinds of steeples.
What is the dome on top of a church called?
Cupola. A relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome.
What’s the difference between entryway and foyer?
foyer is a lobby, corridor, or waiting room used in a hotel, theater, or other structure while entryway is an opening or hallway allowing entry into a structure.
What is the difference between a lobby and a foyer?
A lobby is a communal area in a multi-occupancy building – or more specifically, an area in the Houses of Parliament where members and the public (those lobbying for political support) can meet. A foyer is the entrance to a hotel, or the waiting area in a theatre.
What are church doors called?
Most correctly, the term royal doors indicates the large central doors that separate the narthex from the nave. This is the formal entrance to the church proper (i.e. the nave) and was, in former times, the ceremonial entrance of the Emperor, hence the epithet ‘royal’.
What are the two sides of the church called?
The Gospel side is the other side of the chancel, where the Gospel is read. Facing the altar from the nave, it is the left-hand side. In some places, especially if a comment is based on a romance language source, the Gospel side will be cited as the Evangelist side.
Where did the word narthex come from?
narthex (n.)
“porch at the west end of early churches,” the end furthest from the sanctuary (used by penitents not admitted to the body of the church), 1670s, from Late Greek narthex, in classical Greek “giant fennel,” a word of unknown origin, perhaps Pre-Greek.
What’s another word for hallway?
In this page you can discover 18 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for hallway, like: corridor, passageway, entrance way, vestibule, entrance hall, hall, foyer, stairwell, doorway, sitting-room and stairway.
What is a antonym for vestibule?
ˈvɛstɪˌbjuːl) A large entrance or reception room or area. Antonyms. disassembly. anteroom.
What is the area in front of the altar called?
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building.
What are the front steps of a church called?
A church porch is a room-like structure at a church’s main entrance. A porch protects from the weather to some extent.
What do you call an open doorway?
The technical term for this is: cased opening. Definition: An interior doorway or opening with all the trim and molding installed, but without a door or closure.
What is the room between two doors called?
Vestibules. A vestibule is a space between the first set of doors you walk through when entering a building and the next set of doors you encounter. This space is also known as an arctic entry.