Sanctuary
The sanctuary is the area for the altar, ambo, and ministers. Elevation or another architectural feature distinguishes it from the nave.
Key points
- Its arrangement gives visible order to the celebration of Mass.
- Look for: The defined area around the altar.
- An illustrative Roman Catholic parish in the Latin rite, assembled for study rather than surveyed from a single building. Plans, devotional furnishings, music, and the locations of the font and tabernacle vary; Eastern Catholic churches have other traditions. Sizes, materials, and spacing are illustrative, and displayed vessels represent different moments of worship.