Chancel
A chancel, also known in some contexts as the presbytery or sanctuary, is the part of a traditional church architecture near the altar, historically set apart for the clergy and, in many churches, the choir during religious services. The term is particularly associated with Western Christian architecture, including Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. Although chancel, presbytery, and sanctuary are sometimes used interchangeably, they can have distinct architectural meanings: the sanctuary generally refers to the area immediately surrounding the altar, while the presbytery denotes the area occupied by the officiating clergy. The related term choir refers more precisely to the area containing the stalls used by clergy or singers. [1]
Architecture
In traditional church architecture, the chancel contains the altar or the space immediately surrounding it and may also include the choir stalls used by clergy and singers. It is frequently distinguished from the nave by steps, a change in floor level, railings, or a screen. In larger churches, the choir and sanctuary may occupy distinct portions of the eastern end of the building.
The arrangement varies considerably between churches. In a small parish church, the chancel may consist of a relatively small area around the altar. In a cathedral or monastic church, it may form part of an extensive architectural space incorporating the choir and sanctuary.
A chancel arch is an arch marking the division between the nave and the chancel. A chancel screen is a partition separating the chancel from the nave or another part of the church. In medieval English churches, elaborate screens, sometimes incorporating a crucifix and images of saints, were used to mark this division.
Historical development
The word chancel derives through Old French from the Latin cancelli, meaning latticework or a barrier of crossbars. The name refers to the screens or railings historically used to distinguish the area occupied by the clergy from the remainder of the church.[2]
Early Christian churches used barriers to distinguish the sanctuary and the area occupied by the clergy from the main body of the congregation. The arrangement subsequently developed in different ways in Western and Eastern Christian traditions.
In medieval Western Europe, the chancel became an important feature of many parish churches, cathedrals, and monastic buildings. English churches often incorporated a distinct chancel, sometimes separated from the nave by a substantial choir screen. The term has remained in common use in descriptions of traditional English church architecture, particularly in the Church of England.
Denominational differences
In the Roman Catholic Church of the Latin Rite, the area near the altar may be described as the chancel, although the term sanctuary is commonly used for the immediate area around the altar. In larger churches, the choir may occupy a separate area between the nave and the sanctuary.[3]
Eastern Orthodox churches generally use the terms nave and sanctuary for the corresponding principal areas of the church. The sanctuary is commonly separated from the nave by an iconostasis, an icon-covered screen with doors used during the Divine Liturgy. This arrangement differs from the traditional Western church arrangement, although both traditions distinguish the area around the altar from the main space occupied by the congregation.[4]
Not every Christian church has a distinct architectural chancel. The term is most appropriate when describing buildings whose design distinguishes the area around the altar and choir from the nave.