Confessional Booth

[wwjrd]

Hi there!

I am interested to know if anyone has any information on confessional booths and what they are traditionally made out of and to what dimensions etc.
If anyone has any technical or history books or knowledge on this topic i would love to chat and maybe make a new friend on our topic in common

Thanks

M

 

[pianistclare]

Confessionals are just another component of the church building proper. Wood, drywall, cinder block? Whatever the church is made of.
They are not made to a singular model, except they are not terribly spacious, and the old private type have a sliding screen to obscure the identity of the penitent. The exterior is made to compliment the style of the church interior. There is either a chair or a kneeler on the penitent side, and chair for the priest on the other side.
With the advent of doing confession face to face, churches are building Reconciliation rooms, which are larger, and accommodate both people for either face to face, or private confession behind a standing screen. These can be up to about 10 x 10 feet square, but there are no hard and fast dimensions. It’s up to the architect of the church.

 

[phil19034]

They are all different. Some are built directly into the Church building, some are free standing wooden boxes, etc. Why do you ask? Perhaps if we understand the purpose of the question, someone might be able to help you better.

 

[Tarpeian_Rock]

From what I have seen, American confessionals tended to have in effect 3 separate booths, with the middle one for the priest and typically having a door, and the two end booths for the penitents having a full heavy curtain, and sometimes a door. European confessionals I have seen tend to be more open where the penitents are.