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Homework Help: yet more parts of a church etc.

Question 3

Thank you for your question. (See also Plan of a church)

• The vestry is the place where the priests and people who take part in the service prepare for the service, so it holds the special clothes, (vestments,(see question 1)
• The transept is usually only found in a cathedral (the main church in an area or diocese) . Cathedrals are often shaped like a cross (cruciform) and the parts of the cross that stick out at the side are called the transepts. A crossing is similarly part of this cross shape.
• The sanctuary is the part of the church behind the altar rail where only the priests and servers go; they stand at the altar, the priest asks God to bless the wine and the bread for communion and then it is served to the people kneeling on the other side of the rail. The sanctuary is the most holy part of the church, and the name comes (through ancient French) from a Latin word, "sanctus," which means holy. The most holy part of the church is the place where the altar is placed, because the altar is a symbol of God's presence.

I'm not sure these things are "artefacts". The New Penguin English Dictionary says and artefact is "a product of human workmanship eg a tool or a pot, often as a subject of archaeological study." Although buildings themselves are, of course, built by humans, usually we think of artefacts as the things you can move about or hide in cupboards, such as the chalice, paten, banners etc. These are described on the page for Question 1.

What are the uses and places of the reredos, stained glass windows, church bells, lamp, organ, tabernacle, bishop's chair, candles and steeple in a church?

Thank you for signing the guest book. What a lot of questions!

• A reredos is a screen made of stone or wood.
• Stained glass windows are the beautiful windows made of stained or coloured glass. When most people could not read they liked to look at the pictures to help them to remember the people in the bible stories and saints. Christians still enjoy looking at them today. Each saint wears or carries different things so that you can know which ones they are, for instance Saint Peter usually carries keys and Saint John sometimes has an eagle next to him.
• Church bells are huge bells that usually hang in the church tower. They are rung by bell ringers, (campanologists) who ring them at weddings and to call people to come to church. Sometimes they are run by machines but the church at Saffron Walden is very fortunate to have some very good and loyal bell ringers. bells were used to call people to church, but also in medieval times to warn the townspeople of invaders. Bell ringers still ring the bells at Saint Mary's every Sunday.
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• The organ is a musical instrument which is played during hymns and at other times during services. It can make hundreds of different sounds and sound like many different instruments. It works by pumping wind through tall pipes. The organist sometimes sits high up in an organ loft and watches the choirmaster below through a mirror or video camera. The organist's seat looks a bit like the cockpit of an aeroplane because it is surrounded by knobs called "stops". The organist has to play with both hands and both feet. You can find out more about the organ in Saffron Walden church by clicking here
• The lamp is an oil lamp which hangs in front of a niche in the sanctuary wall (the tabernacle) When there is consecrated bread in the tabernacle, the lamp is lit. Some consecrated bread is kept in the tabernacle so that it can be taken to people who are too ill or old to come to church. It is a symbol of Christ's presence in the church.
• The tabernacle is a place for putting the communion bread which has been blessed (consecrated). Sometimes it is on the altar but usually it is in a little alcove (niche) in the wall.
• The bishop's chair (cathedra) is a place in a cathedral where the bishop sits. A church cannot be called a cathedral unless it has a bishop's chair in it. The bishop only has one chair and it is in the cathedral of the city of which he is the bishop. It symbolises his authority.
• Candles are found lit in churches to symbolise prayer. People can light candles to show that they care and are praying. Sometimes people light candles for other people they are worried about or people who have died. Anyone can light a candle in a church. Usually there is a collecting box next to the candles so that you can give some money so that the church can buy a candle to replace the one you burn. Lighting candles helps people to show their feelings.
• The steeple is another word for the spire, we have now added it to our page on parts of a church, which is you can see by clicking here

  The steeple is another word for the spire, we have now added it to our page on parts of a church, which is you can see by clicking here

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Question 6 and Answer 6

What are the uses of an organ, communion table and a communion rail? We have now written an answer above to explain about the organ; click here to read it.

• A communion table is like an altar which is explained on the page parts of a church part one; see here. Some churches use lots of ceremony and beautiful things in their worship. Other churches prefer to use simple things because they think it makes the meaning of things clearer. Usually churches which prefer ceremony use the term altars and churches which prefer simple things use the words communion table. Altars often have grand cloth covers whereas communion tables are often bare or have a crisp white table cloth.
• The communion rail is a railing which runs between the altar and the rest of the church. In a church of England church, when the priest is giving out bread and wine, the people kneel next to the rail and rest their hands on the rail outstretched to take the bread. In Saffron Walden church the communion rail in the chapel of Remembrance, at the side of the church, is shaped in the shape of crocuses, which are the symbol of the town (Saffron was a dye which was made from crocuses in the Middle Ages.)

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Question 7

What is the East Window?

• Answer 7

• The East window is the big window behind the altar, at the East end of the church. The altar is usually in the East. Usually it is made of stained glass (see Stained glass). It is the most impressive window in a church because it is the one which people face during the service.

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