Gold crown in sanctuary

[Jennifer132]

Do Catholics call it a sanctuary? I don’t know. But anyway, in the room where the Mass takes place, at the parish we’ve been attending, there is a gold crown sitting on a ledge far above and to the right of the alter (if one is facing the alter). Does anyone know what the crown is all about?

 

[1ke]

The gold crown is a common symbol in Christianity, and particularly Catholicism. It represents Christ the King. It also represents sainthood-- i.e. biblical references to receiving a crown in heaven. Many statues are crowned with a gold crown, particularly Mary as she is Queen of Heaven.

There are many images you can look at online that show the Catholic altar with a crown above it. There are also images of the crown in stained glass, etc.

Without *seeing *the crown, it’s difficult to say

I suggest you ask the pastor.

 

[Usige]

I would tend to agree with, 1ke. I would assume it is for Christ the King, but would need to see it in context.

As for where Mass takes place? Well… there are actually two parts of the room (or at least should be). The nave, where the pews are, and the sanctuary, where the altar is. In older churches it is easy to identify the nave from the sanctuary by the communion or altar rails. In their absence, I consider the sanctuary to start at the first of the three steps leading up to the area with the altar. That of course assumes that there are steps, but the vast majority of Catholic churches I’ve been in are setup that way.

I only mention the above since it’s important to remember that the sanctuary is a sacred place set apart from the nave. It was once described to me as the nave is the secular or earthly and the sanctuary is the sacred or heavenly. Too often I see people cut through the sanctuary to get to the other side of the nave instead of walking around. In general my feeling is no one should be in the sanctuary without a good reason to be there.

(aren’t you glad you got a bonus answers for a single question? )

 

[Jennifer132]

I would tend to agree with, 1ke. I would assume it is for Christ the King, but would need to see it in context.

As for where Mass takes place? Well… there are actually two parts of the room (or at least should be). The nave, where the pews are, and the sanctuary, where the altar is. In older churches it is easy to identify the nave from the sanctuary by the communion or altar rails. In their absence, I consider the sanctuary to start at the first of the three steps leading up to the area with the altar. That of course assumes that there are steps, but the vast majority of Catholic churches I’ve been in are setup that way.

I only mention the above since it’s important to remember that the sanctuary is a sacred place set apart from the nave. It was once described to me as the nave is the secular or earthly and the sanctuary is the sacred or heavenly. Too often I see people cut through the sanctuary to get to the other side of the nave instead of walking around. In general my feeling is no one should be in the sanctuary without a good reason to be there.

(aren’t you glad you got a bonus answers for a single question? )

Thank you for the explanation! So does the room itself have a name? Like if I said, " in which room is the Mass taking place?" What is the answer?

 

[TimothyH]

It’s altar, not alter.

Alter is a verb. It means to change something. Altar is a noun. It is the table where the sacrifice of the Mass takes place.

The altar sits in the sanctuary. The sanctuary is the raised portion of the Church where only clergy and servers are allowed to go. The rest of the church is called the nave. This is where the people sit, stand and kneel.

This is different from many non-Catholic churches where the nave of the Church is called the sanctuary or even called the “worship center.” There may not even be a sanctuary or an altar in a non-Catholic Church and so the custom has become to call the whole room the sanctuary.

-Tim-

 

[EveningSkye111]

Do Catholics call it a sanctuary? I don’t know. But anyway, in the room where the Mass takes place, at the parish we’ve been attending, there is a gold crown sitting on a ledge far above and to the right of the alter (if one is facing the alter). Does anyone know what the crown is all about?

It “altar,” not “alter!” Big difference in meaning!

God bless!

 

[UpUpAndAway]

If you asked me, “In which room is the Mass taking place?” I would be confused because the Mass takes place in the entire church.

If, however, you mean the part of the church where the altar is positioned and where the priest(s) remain(s) during the offering of Mass, that would be the sanctuary.

 

[Bonnie]

IIf, however, you mean the part of the church where the altar is positioned and where the priest(s) remain(s) during the offering of Mass, that would be the sanctuary.

I remember reading comments about things taking place “on” the altar, but meaning “around” the altar. Was the sanctuary called the altar at some time?

I know language changes. When I was a new Catholic I read a book about a saint and it said he “served” at daily Mass. I thought it meant he as an altar server. Found out later it meant he attended and participated in the Mass. He was a lay person - Venerable Matt Talbot.

 

[Jennifer132]

I remember reading comments about things taking place “on” the altar, but meaning “around” the altar. Was the sanctuary called the altar at some time?

I know language changes. When I was a new Catholic I read a book about a saint and it said he “served” at daily Mass. I thought it meant he as an altar server. Found out later it meant he attended and participated in the Mass. He was a lay person - Venerable Matt Talbot.

As a Protestent considering Catholicism, I feel like I’m learning a new language. Sorry about the typo. I know the meaning of altar, I just didn’t check my spelling before hitting post.

 

[Bonnie]

As a Protestent considering Catholicism, I feel like I’m learning a new language. Sorry about the typo. I know the meaning of altar, I just didn’t check my spelling before hitting post.

Don’t worry about that - Catholics get it wrong, too!

 

[Cor_ad_Cor]

All kinds of “churchese” to learn! I do hear some (although very, very few) refer to the church as their worship space (meaning nave + sanctuary). I suppose the “church” is really the proper word for both, but that could also include the other rooms of the building - each has a name, but “church” fits both the building as a whole and the worship space.

 

[phil19034]

Thank you for the explanation! So does the room itself have a name? Like if I said, " in which room is the Mass taking place?" What is the answer?

I don’t think the nave + sanctuary actually has a universal name.

In some parishes they call it “the church,” “main church,” “main Altar,” etc. Kind of depends on what kind of campus they have and if they have a daily mass chapel or just one sanctuary.

For example: my parish calls it the main Church because we also have a Daily Mass Chapel next to it.

The Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter & Paul in Philadelphia calls the main sanctuary & main nave the “Basilica” while they call the Chapel’s sanctuary & nave the “Cathedral Chapel”

So I think it really differs per parish. However, it’s worth noting that historically, most Churches were built without extra rooms. Many parishes had separate buildings for their other things. So the Church building itself was really just for worship and didn’t have meeting rooms, etc.

Check out the diagram on this webpage: fisheaters.com/churchbuilding.html

Since modern Churches do often have meeting rooms, etc.; I don’t think Church language has really adjusted for that.

I hope this is helpful.

God Bless.

 

[andrewstx]

I recently got a catalog in the mail of rings and watches. They sell a ring that has a horizontal crown with a cross through it at a 45degree angle. It is a symbol to the Masons! Beware!

 

[ProVobis]

In older churches it is easy to identify the nave from the sanctuary by the communion or altar rails. In their absence, I consider the sanctuary to start at the first of the three steps leading up to the area with the altar.

You’re right but that’s something I could never understand. Why did we choose to introduce an arbitrary barrier between the sanctuary and the nave when we used to have a visible one, which I btw called the communion table?

 

[phil19034]

You’re right but that’s something I could never understand. Why did we choose to introduce an arbitrary barrier between the sanctuary and the nave when we used to have a visible one, which I btw called the communion table?

What are you referring to as the “communion table”? The altar rail or the altar itself in the first centuries of the Church?

Without understanding what you mean by “communion table” I can’t reply to your question.

Thanks!

 

[ProVobis]

What are you referring to as the “communion table”? The altar rail or the altar itself in the first centuries of the Church?

The altar rail, which I think is misnamed.

Only in rare cases, if ever, does the altar separate the sanctuary from the nave, or at least that’s my understanding.

 

[phil19034]

The altar rail, which I think is misnamed.

Only in rare cases, if ever, does the altar separate the sanctuary from the nave, or at least that’s my understanding.

Well… They also call it the communion rail.

So is your question why the altar rails or communion rails were removed? Or why they were installed in the first place?

If you are asking why the communion rails were removed and not installed in new Churches… There are a number of reported reasons:
Fire hazard
More room for Christmas pagents
More room for confirmations
Etc etc etc

However, I believe that most of these “reasons” were excuses

The truth is that the people who removed the communion rails wanted to make sure that kneeling didn’t return as the normative way to receive communion. By removing the rails, the communion line would stay in effect.

Honestly, I feel that this was a great disservice to Churches and Cathedrals that had them. New churches don’t have them to save on the expense of installing nice ones.

 

[UpUpAndAway]

I remember reading comments about things taking place “on” the altar, but meaning “around” the altar. Was the sanctuary called the altar at some time?

In the Western/Roman/Latin Church, not that I know of.

Some Eastern Churches, I have heard, use the term “altar” to refer to what the Western/Roman/Latin Church knows as the sanctuary, while what I as a Latin Rite Catholic would call the altar is known to some Eastern Catholics as the Holy Table. However, if you put what I know about the Eastern Church into a shotglass you would still have enough room for Mongolia, so please understand I could be way off base with the above.

If my pastor says to me, “The Mass on Ash Wednesday will be offered at 11am in the church,” I understand this to mean it will not be in the chapel or in the sacristy or in the meeting rooms or in the basement, even though those areas are objectively in “the church.” Similarly, if Father tells me to put something “on” the altar, I understand him to mean I am to actually place that article on it—not “next to” or “near” or “around.”

I know language changes. When I was a new Catholic I read a book about a saint and it said he “served” at daily Mass. I thought it meant he as an altar server. Found out later it meant he attended and participated in the Mass. He was a lay person - Venerable Matt Talbot.

Not only does the use of terminology change, it also varies from place to place and from language to language. I’m at a bit of a disadvantage here because I’m a native Anglophone living in a French-speaking country. What is meant in English might be different from what is meant in French. For example, every priest I know of in this archdiocese calls the sanctuary “the choir” (le chœur) even if there is no actual choir associated with it. For me, the choir is what makes up the part of the chancel not taken up by the sanctuary, and the two areas, choir and sanctuary, are distinct. :whacky:

 

[pianistclare]

The altar rail, which I think is misnamed.

Only in rare cases, if ever, does the altar separate the sanctuary from the nave, or at least that’s my understanding.

Ours is CLEARLY separated by
travertine steps.
No one can just “wander” into the Sanctuary and Altar area. .

 

[PJM]

Do Catholics call it a sanctuary? I don’t know. But anyway, in the room where the Mass takes place, at the parish we’ve been attending, there is a gold crown sitting on a ledge far above and to the right of the alter (if one is facing the alter). Does anyone know what the crown is all about?

Hi Jennifer,

The “Sanctuary” [From Father Hardon’s Catholic Dictionary

SANCTUARY. The part of a church containing the altar. If there are several altars, the sanctuary is for the high altar. In the Byzantine tradition it is enclosed by the iconostasis. It is the center of liturgical ceremony, clearly distinct from the main body of the church. (Etym. Latin sanctuarium, holy place, shrine.) End QUOTE]

MOST often it is elevated higher than than rest of the church

As a FYI its Altar [a place of Sacrifice]

As for the crown, you might ask the priest of a parishioner. It’s a local “thing” NOT a NORM of the RCC.

It most likely has to do with relics, BUT ask a LOCAL, they will know.

The MAIN Altar is the one in the center, and there MAY be a High [old] Altar behind it, And also possibly several “side altars”

The High Altar often has the Reservation-Tabernacle [a Gold Door front] that holds the unused BUT Consecrated Host [Body of Jesus]

God Bless and guide your journey,

Patrick [PJM]

I’ve answered several of your other POST Q’s too:thumbsup: