The nave is the part of the church where parishioners or church members sit or stand. This space is made up of pews in both Catholic and Protestant churches. It is not unusual to find rows of seats or even tables with chairs in this section in modern churches. The word "nave" comes from the Latin word navis, meaning "ship." Thus, the nave is like a ship's deck for people to walk on. In ancient ships, the nave was the area where passengers would be seated or standing around a central point, such as a rudder or mast.
The choir is a room in churches where musicians play music during services. Musicians include singers, organists, and instrumentalists such as pianists and guitarists. There are two types of choirs in Christian churches: male and female. In a male choir, all the parts are played by men; in a female choir, all the parts are played by women. A mixed choir includes males and females singing together.
Choirs first appeared in Europe around the 11th century. They were important because priests could not read sacred texts aloud during worship services; instead, they had to sing songs that reflected their feelings about God. Priests also needed something to do while waiting between readings from the Bible.
During the Renaissance era in Europe, choirs became popular among royalty and the upper class.
The nave is the main section of the church where the congregation (those who come to worship) sits. The word "nave" comes from the Latin word for "nave", which means "central aisle of a medieval cathedral". The word "nave" became popular after 1150 when Archbishop Thomas of Canterbury (1118-1154) had one built as he wanted his new cathedral to be centrally located.
The choir is the part of the church where the musicians play their instruments. They usually sit in front of the altar.
The chancel is the name given to any area of the church associated with religious rites and ceremonies. It can also refer to a specific area, such as the chancel window or chapel.
The altar is a table used for religious services. In churches without an organ or another form of instrumentation, the priest leads prayers and reads scripture during worship services. On occasion, he may anoint people with oil or sprinkle them with holy water. These acts are often referred to as offering items on the altar.
People come together in churches to worship God. Worship includes prayer, reading scripture, singing, and giving offerings.
The aisles are the church's sides, which may extend along the sides of the nave. If there is a transept, it is a section that spans the nave at the top of the church. The term "narthex" refers to the area outside the entrance to a building or room, such as a church, hallway, or office. The term comes from the Greek for "way into the house". The narthex is used for gathering space when you enter a church building.
The terms "transept" and "cross" are often used interchangeably, but they have different meanings. A transept divides one part of the church from another; in other words, it is a cross-shaped division within the body of the church itself. While a cross is a planar structure extending from a wall or post, with limbs perpendicular to the base and intersecting at right angles, a transept has three walls instead of four. It is thus more angular than a cross. The word "transverse" means "across", so a transverse section is one that crosses what would otherwise be a straight line.
A bell tower is an elevated structure containing bells used for signaling purposes. They were originally used as public alarms but also served as religious instruments until about 1750.
The components of a church The nave is the main section of the church where the congregation (those who come to worship) sits. It may be single or double, but always extends beyond the nave walls. A crossing is a space at the center of a church where the lines of the building intersect. This may be an open area or may have structural features such as a roof or dome over the space. A bell tower is a structure built into a church's wall with the purpose of holding bells. They can be found in many churches around the world. They usually contain rooms where food is stored for the poor and other services performed by volunteers.
Other terms used for parts of a church include: altar, baptistry, belfry, choir, chancel, narthex, transept. See also Terms for church architecture.
In medieval Europe, this was usually a priest but now refers to anyone who represents Jesus Christ on earth. A church is an assembly place for Christians to come together and celebrate God's presence among them and through them. Church is a location, not a group of people.
The nave is the main body of the church where most worshippers stand, while the sanctuary is the space east of the nave surrounding the altar. Typically, the sanctuary is one to three steps higher than the nave. It contains the tabernacle which houses the Precious and Life-giving Blood of Christ, as well as other holy objects kept by the priest during service.
The term "nave" comes from the Latin word meaning "way," or "path." In Roman Catholic churches, the term "nave" also refers to the area between the high altar and the choir screen. In Anglo-Catholic churches, the nave is often referred to as the "ambulatory." However, this usage is not consistent across all churches using the term "nave."
In Anglican churches, the nave is the central portion of the building in which the altar and congregation are located. In medieval churches, the nave was where the people gathered to hear their priests preach during Mass and administer the sacraments. As churches became larger and more ornate, they needed a place for the laity to sit while waiting for services to begin.
In a cruciform church, the nave extends from the entrance (the narthex) to the transepts (a transverse aisle spanning the nave in front of the sanctuary) or, in the absence of transepts, to the chancel (area around the altar). The word "nave" comes from the Latin for "navel," referring to an open area where ships were assembled with their ribs standing up as a defense against attack.
The main room of a church is usually called a nave because it resembles the shape of the human body when laid out flat. In fact, the word "nave" comes from the Latin for "navel." The space within the walls of a building that contains monuments to the dead is called a necropolis. The term derives from the Greek nekros, meaning "dead."
Monuments are placed inside the nave at various intervals to commemorate people who played important roles in creating or developing Christianity. These include saints (people considered to be members of the Christian community before they died), doctors (those who have healed others by performing surgery), martyrs (those who have been killed while trying to defend other Christians' rights), and virgins (women who have never married).
There are also monuments located outside the nave that mark important events in religious history.