A CHURCH BUILDINGS' GLOSSARY

AISLE, A "wing" on either side of the nave and divided from it by pillars.

ALTAR OR COMMUNION TABLE

Flat topped table of stone (usually pre-Reformation) or wood (post-Reformation). Usually found at the East end of the church, but there may in addition, be a portable nave altar and altars in the chapels in the side aisles. It will be enclosed behind ALTAR OR COMMUNION RAILS which mark the boundary of the sanctuary. If there is more than one altar in a church the main altar is the HIGH ALTAR. It may be covered with different colour cloths (frontals) according to the ecclesiastical season, is the focal point of an Anglican church. It is the place where the bread and wine are consecrated at the Eucharist (Holy Communion Service) and reminds the congregation of the table at which the Last Supper was eaten by Jesus and his disciples. The very first Christian altars would have been wooden, as they were tables in private houses. It then became the custom to celebrate communion on the tombs of martyrs and so, prior to the Reformation, great stone altars began to be used in churches - these could be ten feet long, one foot thick and literally weigh a ton! Most of these stone altars were removed c. 1550, but you may spot them being reused outside the church in a path or even as a tombstone. A very few stone altars are still in place; if you have one in your church, ask to see the five ancient consecration crosses marking where the bishop touched it during the consecration of the church. Since 1550 communion tables have been made of wood. Altar rails were also introduced into England with the Reformation when they were designed to fence people off from the altar to prevent its profanation.   Communicants had been kneeling for communion before this time, but prior to the thirteenth century they stood. There may be several altars in a church. The main altar or high altar will stand in its traditional place at the east end of the church Nave altars have become increasingly common in recent years; these are portable altars which stand at the head of the nave so as to break down the barriers of distance which separate the laity from the clergy and the action of the eucharist. Side chapels or chantry chapels will also have their own altars. Behind the altar a decorated screen is often erected. This is known as the reredos and will probably include a visual reference to the Last Supper or the death of Christ on the cross which are being celebrated at the altar.

ANGEL ROOF, A hammerbeam roof with carved angels decorating the post ends. A common feature in East Anglia.

APSE, Semicircular area at east end of chancel. Usually a sign of a Norman building. Norwich Cathedral has one, but few others remain.

ARCADE, A series of arches on columns. . These may be open, or closed up with masonry (a 'blind arcade").

AUMBRY, A cupboard in the wall near the altar used for keeping bread and wine consecrated at the Eucharist which has not been consumed. This will be used for house communions for the sick A light is often left burning. in front of the aumbry if the Blessed Sacrament is inside.

BARREL VAULT, A continuous vault (q.v.) shaped like a tunnel.

BELFRY, A bell tower, generally attached to the church building. The

word can be used of the whole tower or just the space where the bells are hung.

BOSS, A round, ornamental, stone placed at the intersection of ribs in a vault.

BRASS, A Memorial tablet made of brass with an inscription and perhaps a figure engraved upon it. Many of the earliest examples were destroyed during the Reformation, but the imprint of their presence may remain

in the stone floor. If you wish to do some brass rubbing you should always check with the vicar first.

BUTTRESS, Brick or stone support built against a wall to give it strength. If it is arched out from the wall it is a FLYING BUTII{ESS.

CHANCEL, The eastern end of a church beyond the nave. Also called the CHOIR after the choir who sing the services there.

CLERESTORY, The upper storey of the nave which is pierced with windows to light the body of the nave.

CORBEL, A supporting projection of wood or stone which juts out from a wall e.g. to help support a beam.

CROSSING, Where the transepts cross the nave in a cruciform church.

CRUCIFIX, A cross with the figure o Christ on it.

CRYPT, An underground chamber, usually beneath a chancel, which may be a burial chamber or a chapel. Usually found only in the largest churches or cathedrals.

DECORATED BUILDING STYLE 1300-1400, There were no major building differences between this century and the Early English style of the previous one, but the name of this period derives from the fact that elaborate decoration is used wherever possible. Look also for elaborate ornamental stonework at the top of windows and wonderful curved, flowing shapes. In the 1300s many of the churches of East Anglia replaced their roofs with hammerbeam roofs with carved angels on the beams. This style of roof carving is a local feature found at its .best in our area of the country (the best example is said to be that of St Wendreda's church in March). This is also the period in which spires began to feature in church architecture.

EARLY ENGLISH BUILDING STYLE 1200-1200, Look particularly for; pointed arches; long windows where a number of narrow pointed windows are grouped together in threes, fives or sevens so as to form a large lights; the use of buttresses (especially the arched "flying buttresses") to support the weight and thrust of the higher buildings; walls are thinner than in the Norman period; columns are thinner and often grouped in clusters; vaults often have projecting ribs and where these meet decorative round bosses are found.

EFFIGY, A portrait of a deceased person, usually carved in stone, which is placed on a tomb.

FONT, The font is a large basin, usually of stone, for holding the water used in baptism. It often has a wooden cover which may be plain or highly decorated. (The locked covers apparently began to be used because superstitious folk began stealing the water for use in folk medicine!) Fonts may be plain or highly carved. The most famous (and quite rare) medieval carving depicts the "Seven Sacraments" of the Church (Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Matrimony, Penance, Extreme Unction, Ordination). The bowl of the font is raised on four legs (12th and 13th centuries) or a single stem (14th century onwards) to make it a suitable height for sprinkling water on the infant who is to be baptised. If you look inside a font you will probably see a small modern bowl; the font is now no longer filled for a baptism service as only a small amount of water is needed. The position of the font at the west end of the church building is significant as baptism is the rite of passage which symbolises entry into membership of Christ's church, and thus the font stands near the entry to the building. The water used in baptism symbolises the washing away of sin, and new birth into the family of the church. You may find that some churches no longer use their ancient font for their baptism services, but instead have a small moveable font which they can take to the front of the church.

GARGOYLE, Grotesquely carved projecting waterspout.

HASSOCK, The cushions for kneeling on. These are often very decorative and repay study.

LADY CHAPEL, A side chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

LANCET, A tall narrow window with a pointed head.

LECTERN, On the south side of the church, opposite the pulpit, stands the lectern, a moveable stand on which the Bible is placed for reading during a service: The lectern will be made of wood or brass and is frequently in the shape of an eagle. The soaring flight of the eagle represents the soaring power of the Word of God which wings its way throughout the world.

LYCHGATE, A roofed-over gateway into a churchyard where coffins were rested before a funeral was ready to begin.

MISERICORD, Tip-up seats in the choir stalls with wonderfully carved brackets underneath. Used for the worshippers to lean on in long periods of worship. If your church has misericordes they should be well worth investigating. The name means "compassionate heart".

NAVE; The main body of the church.

NORMAN (ROMANESQUE) BUILDING STYLE.1066-1200 Look particularly for round-headed windows, arches and 'doors, often with a zig-zag design; massive round pillars (usually filled with rubble); squat, square towers; first use of the "clear storey" (clerestory) a series of windows. above the arches of the nave and clear of the aisles which let in light to the main body of the church; roofs of timber and tunnel shaped.

PERPENDICULAR BUILDING STYLE 1400-1500, Advances in building styles allowed Perpendicular churches to be built very high with even thinner walls. Look particularly for; very large windows, often set in square headed frames and strengthened by horizontal bars of stone or wood (transoms); flatter topped arches. The whole emphasis is on long vertical lines. A beautiful development of this period is fan vaulting, the finest example of which may be seen in King's College Chapel, Cambridge.

PEW, The fitted wooden benches for the congregation. Seating in church only began to appear in the fourteenth century and before' this everyone stood unless the building had stone seats (built into the wall) for the elderly or infirm. (This is the origin of the saying "the weak go to the wall".).

PISCINA, A basin set in the south wall near the altar with a drain away to the outside. This used to be used to carry away the water in which the priest's hands are washed during the Eucharist and the water in which the chalice (cup) and paten (plate) are washed after the service.

PULPIT, The elevated stand of stone or wood from which the priest preaches the sermon. Pulpit literally means “platform” and is the raised structure from which the minister addresses the congregation.  Traditionally the pulpit will be on the north side of the church – although this is the left when viewed from the nave, from the vantage point of the altar it means that the priest stands in a position of authority at the right hand of God, whose message he is proclaiming. Pulpits are generally octagonal in shape. The majority of medieval pulpits were wooden and their panels were painted with saints and other figures. There are more medieval pulpits left in East Anglia than any other part of the country. After the Reformation stone pulpits became more common. A spectacular eighteenth century style of pulpit which may still be seen in some churches is the three decker pulpit. This had a box for the parish clerk at ground level, one slightly higher for the minister whilst he was leading the service, and behind this the high level preaching pulpit with a sounding board (tester) to improve the acoustics. The height of a church's pulpit is both practical and symbolic; it allows the minister to be heard, but also demonstrates the importance of the message of God he proclaims.

REREDOS, The often massive, decorated screen behind the altar. Sometimes a TRIPTYCH (a hinged three panelled painting) may be used as a reredos.

ROOD SCREEN, The rood is a cross or crucifix, often flanked by carvings of the Virgin Mary and St john, placed on a large screen which separates the chancel from the nave. There are also a few rood lofts remaining where the rood is supported on a platform which was used for a choir or instrumentalists, during special services. If your church has a strange staircase which apparently emerges in thin air in your chancel arch, then this is a sure sign that the church once had a rood loft.

SACRISTY, The robin where the sacred vessels and clergy vestments are kept.

SANCTUARY, The area immediately around a church's main altar.

SCREEN, The wooden or stone partition which divides the chancel from the nave.

SEDILA, Stone benches on the south side of the sanctuary, usually built into the wall, which were used by the main celebrant, the deacon and sub-deacon during the Eucharist.

SPIRE, The tall cone or pyramid surmounting a church tower. The tower and the spire together form a STEEPLE.

STAINED GLASS, The 'coloured glass in church windows which includes a picture or patterned design. Most medieval glass was- destroyed in the Reformation so it is likely that the stained glass windows in your church will be Victorian or later.

TRANSEPT, The arms of a cross-shaped church.

VAULT, Arched ceiling, usually of stone.

VESTRY, Room or rooms where the vestments are kept and the clergy and/or choir robe up.