The term "Sanctuary"

[hamburglar]

What does the term “Sanctuary” mean? Does it refer to part of the church building where the pews and altar together are located, or is it just the area around the altar? Or is it something else?

 

[ClaireS]

In a Catholic church, it is the area where the altar is. In Protestant churches, it is the whole worship area including where the pews or chairsare.

 

[John_Lilburne]

From the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html:

“295. The sanctuary is the place where the altar stands, where the word of God is proclaimed, and where the priest, the deacon, and the other ministers exercise their offices. It should suitably be marked off from the body of the church either by its being somewhat elevated or by a particular structure and ornamentation. It should, however, be large enough to allow the Eucharist to be celebrated properly and easily seen.”

The “other ministers” include the readers as well as altar servers: “195. … Then the lector takes his own place in the sanctuary with the other ministers.”

I think “other ministers” also includes the cantor, psalmist, commentator and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. I think the choir is discouraged from being there:
“312. The choir should be positioned with respect to the design of each church so as to make clearly evident its character as a part of the gathered community of the faithful fulfilling a specific function.”

On the commentator: “105. … In performing this function the commentator stands in an appropriate place facing the faithful, but not at the ambo.”

The sanctuary should have seats for all priests, even those not con-celebrating:
“310. … Likewise, seats should be arranged in the sanctuary for concelebrating priests as well as for priests who are present for the celebration in choir dress but who are not concelebrating.”

But if there are too many priests:
“294. … Seats for concelebrants should also be prepared there. If, however, their number is great, seats should be arranged in another part of the church, but near the altar.”

The tabernacle may, or may not, be in the sanctuary:
“Consequently, it is preferable that the tabernacle be located, according to the judgment of the Diocesan Bishop,
a. Either in the sanctuary, apart from the altar of celebration, in a form and place more appropriate, not excluding on an old altar no longer used for celebration (cf. above, no. 303);
b. Or even in some chapel suitable for the faithful’s private adoration and prayer and which is organically connected to the church and readily visible to the Christian faithful.”

The credence table should be in the sanctuary:
“207. In the sanctuary there should be prepared
a. Seats and texts for the concelebrating priests;
b. On the credence table: a chalice of sufficient size or else several chalices.”

 

[ClaireS]

Sanctuary also means a place of safety. In the middle ages a person accused of a crime could run into a church and the king’s lawmen could not enter to take him prisoner, the church authorities would deal with him. In this way, the accused could sometimes get a fairer hearing.

 

[hamburglar]

What is everything else called? Like the area that includes the pews and choir, and organ?

On the commentator: “105. … In performing this function the commentator stands in an appropriate place facing the faithful, but not at the ambo.”

What commentator? And what’s the difference between the ambo and the lectern?

 

[Woodstock]

In the Eastern Catholic churches, the sanctuary is the central part of the church between the narthex and the iconostas–in other words, the sanctuary is the area the people stand and worship in the east. Behind the iconostas is the altar in which stands the Holy Table.

A westerner would say the corresponding features in his church are the nave, which is the area between the narthex and communion rail, behind which is the sanctuary in which stands the altar.

So in the east, the sanctuary is where the laity are. In the west, it is where the ordained are.

 

[Phemie]

Sanctuary also means a place of safety. In the middle ages a person accused of a crime could run into a church and the king’s lawmen could not enter to take him prisoner, the church authorities would deal with him. In this way, the accused could sometimes get a fairer hearing.

In Canada in recent years there have been several cases of illegal immigrants claiming sanctuary in churches and for the most part the civil authorities have respected the tradition although it they don’t have to. I’m only aware of one case where the police went into a church and forcibly dragged out the person who’d sought refuge there.

 

[Phemie]

What does the term “Sanctuary” mean? Does it refer to part of the church building where the pews and altar together are located, or is it just the area around the altar? Or is it something else?

Your question makes me think again about the importance of proper terminology when we talk about church things.

Recently I had occasion to prepare a young reader to read at the next Sunday Mass. We have no deacon so the one who does the first reading carries the Book of Gospels in the Entrance Procession and puts it on the altar.

I repeatedly said “you put the Book on the altar” but on Sunday morning at the end of the Entrance Procession I looked up and saw nothing on the altar. When I did the second reading I looked again and still saw nothing so I didn’t remove the Lectionary to the ambo’s shelf, figuring that the priest would have to use it to read the Gospel. As I got back to my seat I saw the priest put the Lectionary on the shelf and walk over to the altar, bend very low and come up with the Book of Gospels.

To make a long story short I came to find out that to this teenager ‘the altar’ was the entire sanctuary and the ‘the table’ was the altar. She had put the Book on the floor in front of the altar.

Referring to a time when kids had been called into the sanctuary to listen to the homily during the so-called “Family Mass” she said to her mother, “When we were little you always told us we had to behave when we were on the altar.” Such a warning and the constant referring to the priest being “on the altar” had led her to believe that the sanctuary was the altar and the altar was ‘the table’.

 

[hamburglar]

In the Eastern Catholic churches, the sanctuary is the central part of the church between the narthex and the iconostas–in other words, the sanctuary is the area the people stand and worship in the east. Behind the iconostas is the altar in which stands the Holy Table.

A westerner would say the corresponding features in his church are the nave, which is the area between the narthex and communion rail, behind which is the sanctuary in which stands the altar.

So in the east, the sanctuary is where the laity are. In the west, it is where the ordained are.

Thank You. Great idea about using colors.

What about the chancel? And is there supposed to be both a lectern and a pulpit, or will just a lectern suffice?

 

[Woodstock]

Thank You. Great idea about using colors.

What about the chancel? And is there supposed to be both a lectern and a pulpit, or will just a lectern suffice?

I’ve heard **chancel **described as both the entire area behind the communion rail, including the choir seating, and only as the area in the back of the western church’s sanctuary, meaning the semi-circular apse and/or the area for the bishop’s throne.

Using the latter meaning, the corresponding eastern term is the** High Place** (the throne for the bishop), which is often but not always in a semi-circular apse along the east wall of the altar. The high place has the synthronos, or chairs for the clergy, on either side of it along the back wall of the altar. The choir is never located behind the iconostas in the east. I am only familiar with Byzantine usage which places the choir into two groups (north and south kliros), one on each side of the sanctuary–usually far front or far back–to help lead the alternating congregational chant.

The lectern, if there is one, is where the epistle reading is read from in the west. The pulpit is where the Gospel is read and the homily given. If there is only one stand where all duties are combined, it is called an ambo in the west.

I have seen an Oriental Catholic Church which has a lectern to the people’s right and a pulpit to the people’s left. I am unfamiliar with the historic usage of the two in the east. The Byzantines have the epistle read from the center of the church, often from a raised platform called a bema, while the priest chants the Gospel from the ambo. The stepped area outside the iconostas is called the solea (which is still considered part of the altar, so the laity don’t go up there. That’s why there is a tetrapod or other stand with icons on them for the people to venerate, because they can’t get to the ones on the iconostas). The central, outward curving area in front of the Holy Doors is the ambo. Sometimes a stand of some sort is manually brought to the ambo for the priest’s convenience, but there is not a permanent stand to put papers on books on. The priest or deacon reads the Gospel, gives the homily, and distributes the Holy Gifts from the ambo.

Here’s one example of an eastern church and its terminology.

http://www.saintelias.com/foto/small/kkdiagram4.jpg

 

[John_Lilburne]

… And what’s the difference between the ambo and the lectern?

From the 2002 General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) approved for the USA, which can be accessed from romanrite.com/girm.html :
“*The Ambo *
309. The dignity of the word of God requires that the church have a place that is suitable for the proclamation of the word and toward which the attention of the whole congregation of the faithful naturally turns during the Liturgy of the Word.
It is appropriate that this place be ordinarily a stationary ambo and not simply a movable lectern. The ambo must be located in keeping with the design of each church in such a way that the ordained ministers and lectors may be clearly seen and heard by the faithful.”

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

Though there is little common terminology regarding “lecterns,” “pulpits,” etc., the ambo is the place from which the readings (and preferably homily) are proclaimed. Some churches have another “lectern” from which announcements are made, cantors sing, etc., but I don’t believe there is any ecclesiastical mandate for such a second stand - hence the different words used to describe it.