What is a sacristy in architecture?

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.

What part of the church is the sacristy?

The sacristy is usually located inside the church, but in some cases it is an annex or separate building (as in some monasteries). In most older churches, a sacristy is near a side altar, or more usually behind or on a side of the main altar.

What is the difference between a vestry and sacristy?

is that sacristy is a room in a church where sacred vessels, books, vestments, etc are kept sometimes also used by clergy to prepare for worship or for meetings while vestry is a room in a church where the clergy put on their vestments and where these are stored; also used for meetings and classes; a sacristy.

What is a synonym for the word sacristy?

In this page you can discover 11 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for sacristy, like: vestry, church room, vestry room, narthex, , baptistry, baptistery, chapter-house, cloister, and vestibule.

Why do pews face each other?

Monastic life contributed to the encroachment of the pews since monks and some other clerics sat in “choir,” – a choir pew area between the people in the assembly and the altar. They would against opposite walls, facing each other, a style still seen in monastic settings.

What is the wall behind the altar called?

reredos
A reredos (/ˈrɪərˌdɒs, ˈrɪərɪ-, ˈrɛrɪ-/ REER-dos, REER-ih-, RERR-ih-) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church.

What is the main room of a church called?

Nave
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 holiest part of a church?

A tabernacle serves as a secure and sacred place in which to store the Blessed Sacrament for carrying to the sick who cannot participate in Mass, or as a focus for the prayers of those who visit the church.

Why do English church pews face each other?

What is the end of a church pew called?

Bench end
Bench end is the term usually applied to the wooden end panel of a church pew.

What is the front door of a church called?

narthex
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.

Why is it called a narthex?

The word comes from narthex (Medieval Latin from Classical Greek narthex νάρθηξ “giant fennel, scourge”) and was the place for penitents. In English the narthex is now the porch outside the church at the west end, formerly it was a part of the church itself.