Placement of casket

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Terrasculp

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What is the area called where the casket is placed during the mass?  The space in front of the altar is called?  The Crossing or perhaps the chancel?
All the best,

JD
 
Good question.
I’d bet most people, priests and funeral directors included, call that spot, “here.” As in, “We’ll place the casket here.”
 
What is the space in front of the alter called? the Crossing? Or is it all part of the chancel?
 
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It depends on the design of the church. In a traditional cruciform church the altar in the sanctuary, the choir would usually be sat in the chancel, there may be a transept (the ‘arms’ of the cross) joining at the crossing, with the people sat in the nave.

A coffin or casket is usually placed with the feet facing liturgical East before the altar (or in the case of a cleric head facing liturgical East) which would mean which ever area is directly before the sanctuary; in a cruciform church this would be the chancel or transept if no room in the chancel.
 
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Thank-you for the thoughtful reply. The church in my story is of cruciform design. The casket is resting in front of the alter. I was under the impression that the crossing separates the transepts. I’m wondering if I should describe the area between the nave and the altar as the Crossing?

I really appreciate your thoughts.

All the best,

J.D.
 
The transept forms one part But is divided into North and South, the crossing is where the four points meet together.
 
It depends on the form of the church. Sometimes there are transepts (arms of a cross); sometimes they are not as clearly set out; sometimes there is a choir area (the only one I have seen is in an abbey). Lacking the choir area, the easiest way to say it that most people can understand is in the center of the church, just short of the sanctuary.

My parish is in the half-round, so there is not transept, and no choir area. The last two funerals I have been to (the Friday after Christmas, and the second one, of his father, the Friday after New Year’s Day) were just short if the sanctuary, with enough room that the priest and deacon could distribute Communion to those approaching along either side of the caskets.
 
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It is not easy to say because today it is likely a church will not be built in the traditional cruciform shape. The most recent funeral I attended the nave, where the congregation sit, came right up to the start of the sanctuary. In that case the coffin was placed at the head of the nave’s central aisle just in front of the sanctuary. In fact I cannot think of any church I know with a choir or proper chancel.
 
TomH1 said:
In fact I cannot think of any church I know with a choir or proper chancel.
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In two parishes where I lived previously, both churches were cruciform and had a proper crossing. One of them was built in the 1890s and the other in the 1920s. In newer churches – though I couldn’t p(name removed by moderator)oint from exactly what date onward – all you can really say, I think, about the place where the crossing ought to be, is that it’s “at the foot of the altar steps, in the center.” Is there a more specific term in Church use? I don’t know. Maybe somebody here knows the answer.
 
Thank-you all for your most learned (name removed by moderator)ut. Based on what I’ve been able to gather, I suppose it would be safe to say in my story that the coffin was placed at the foot of the altar in the crossing. Do you think this is a fair assessment?

I wish you all the very best,

J. D. Lowes
 
I never knew the Liturgical North side was called the Gospel side and the South was called the Epistle! That is really neat!
 
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