Religious glossary

Also called: vagaraguyr

In Armenian churches the raised sanctuary is closed not by an iconostasis but by a curtain drawn at certain moments.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: side apses

The semicircular or polygonal end of the church, usually to the east, where the altar stands.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: baptismal pool

The pool in which baptism by full immersion takes place, often behind the pulpit in Neo-Protestant churches.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: belfry

The tower or structure in which the bells hang; it can be attached to the church or stand separately.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: tevah, almemar

The raised platform with a reading desk from which the Torah is read.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: monastic cell

The room where a monk or nun lives; also a small hermitage.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: choir, sanctuary

The part of the church, usually raised and facing east, where the altar stands and the clergy officiate.

Architecture & spaces

The wooden stalls in the church; the cantors sing from the stalls in front of the iconostasis.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: side doors

The two side doors of the iconostasis, used by deacons and servers; archangels are usually painted on them.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: peasant fortress

A church surrounded by defensive walls, towers and storerooms, built by Saxon and Székely communities to withstand sieges.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: monastery guest house

The guest house of a monastery, where pilgrims and visitors are hosted.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: meeting house, church

The building where a Neo-Protestant congregation meets; simple inside, without icons, with a pulpit, choir and often a baptistery.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: templon

The wall of icons that separates the sanctuary from the nave; it has three doors and icons arranged in a fixed order.

Architecture & spaces

The meeting place of Jehovah’s Witnesses; plain, without religious symbols, with a platform and chairs.

Architecture & spaces

The niche in the wall of the mosque indicating the direction of Mecca (qibla).

Architecture & spaces

The tall slender tower of the mosque from which the muezzin calls to prayer five times a day.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: mimber

The pulpit of the mosque, a tall staircase with a small canopy, from which the Friday sermon is given.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: skete, metochion

A monastery is a community of monks or nuns; a skete is a small, often remote monastery; a metochion belongs to a larger monastery.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: cami, mescit

The Muslim place of prayer; in Dobruja it is also called a geamie.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: vestibule

The room at the entrance of the church, before the nave, where candles are lit and catechumens once stood.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: aisles

The main body of the church where the congregation sits; large churches have a central nave and side aisles.

Architecture & spaces

The central part of the church where the faithful stand during services, between the narthex and the sanctuary.

Architecture & spaces

A small church or chapel (in a monastery, hospital or residence); also a service of supplication to a saint.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: exonarthex

The covered space at the entrance of the church, open or closed, before the narthex — typical of Romanian architecture.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: ambo

The raised place from which the Gospel is read and the sermon preached; in Protestant churches it is the focal point.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: trapezărie

The dining hall of a monastery, where monks eat together in silence while listening to readings.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: Holy Doors

The central doors of the iconostasis, through which the Gospel and the Holy Gifts are carried; the Annunciation is painted on them.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: vestry

The room next to the altar where vestments and sacred vessels are kept and priests vest.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: Holy Altar

The holiest part of the church, facing east behind the iconostasis, where the Liturgy is celebrated.

Architecture & spaces

The raised step in front of the iconostasis, from which the priest addresses the faithful and gives Communion.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: temple, beit knesset

The Jewish house of prayer and study; large Neolog synagogues are often called "temple".

Architecture & spaces

Also called: ablution fountain

The fountain in the mosque courtyard where the faithful perform ablutions before prayer.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: prothesis table

The small table on the left of the sanctuary where the priest prepares the bread and wine and commemorates names.

Architecture & spaces

The tower rising above the church, usually over the nave; inside, Christ Pantocrator is painted at its top.

Architecture & spaces

The transverse arm crossing the nave in front of the chancel, giving the church a cross shape.

Architecture & spaces

Also called: ezrat nashim

The separate area for women in traditional synagogues, usually a balcony.

Architecture & spaces