AdministratorWhat is an apse of a church?
apse, in architecture, a semicircular or polygonal termination to the choir, chancel, or aisle of a secular or ecclesiastical building. First used in pre-Christian Roman architecture, the apse often functioned as an enlarged niche to hold the statue of a deity in a temple.
Where is an apse in a church?
Commonly, the apse of a church, cathedral or basilica is the semicircular or polygonal termination to the choir or sanctuary, or sometimes at the end of an aisle. In church architecture it is generally the name given to where the altar is placed or where the clergy are seated.
What was the purpose of a Chevet?
choir. choir, in architecture, area of a church designed to accommodate the liturgical singers, located in the chancel, between the nave and the altar.
Why is the apse in the east?
The first Christians faced east when praying, likely an outgrowth of the ancient Jewish custom of praying in the direction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Due to this established custom, Tertullian says some non-Christians thought they worshipped the sun.
What is a nave and apse?
Nave: The primary area of public observance of the Mass. It is generally the largest space, and located between the narthex and sanctuary. Radiating Chapels: Located around the Apse of the church, accessible from the Ambulatory.
What is a nave and transept?
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 transept and nave?
A transept is, in Romanesque and Gothic church architecture, an area set across the nave in a cruciform building. The transept separates the nave from the sanctuary. The point where to main axis crosses the transept, known simply as the crossing, belongs to both the nave and the transept.
What is the meaning of the rose window?
Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery.
Why do priests face east?
Nearly all Christian apologetic tracts published in the 7th century in the Syriac and Arabic languages explicated the reason that Christians prayed facing the east is because “the Garden of Eden was planted in the east (Genesis 2:8) and that at the end of time, at the second coming, the Messiah would approach Jerusalem …
Why is church called nave?
The term nave derives from the Latin navis, meaning “ship,” and it has been suggested that it may have been chosen to designate the main body of the building because the ship had been adopted as a symbol of the church.