But many medieval churches still have a seeing device variously called a squint, a leper-hole, or a hagioscope. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as “a small opening, cut through a chancel arch or wall to enable worshippers in an aisle or side chapel to obtain a view of the elevation of the host”.
A hagioscope (from Ancient Greek άγιος (ágios) 'holy', and σκοπεῖν (skopeîn) 'to see') or squint is an architectural term denoting a small splayed opening or tunnel at seated eye-level, through an internal masonry dividing wall of a church in an oblique direction (south-east or north-east), giving worshippers a view of ...
: a small window in the exterior wall of some medieval churches through which lepers are believed to have viewed the service being conducted at the altar.
The sanctuary is the area at the front of the church where the altar and cross are located, and the area around it that is usually raised. Also included are the priest's chair and altar servers' seats. Usually, but not always, the lectern where the readings are proclaimed is within the sanctuary.
Church militant: The Church as it exists on earth; Church suffering: These are the souls in purgatory; Church triumphant: The Church in heaven; these are saints known by the Church as well as those saints known only to God.
The component parts of a fixed altar in the liturgical sense are the table (mensa), the support (stipes) and the sepulchrum. (See ALTAR-CAVITY.) The table must be a single slab of stone firmly joined by cement to the support, so that the table and support together make one piece.
Studying the Scriptures. Do activity A as you study Leviticus 13–14. Because leprosy was so visible and involved the decay or corruption of the body, it served as an excellent symbol of sinfulness. Sin corrupts someone spiritually the way leprosy corrupts someone physically.
Jesus' touching of the leper has special significance. As leprosy was regarded as an unclean disease, Jesus apparently was not supposed to come close to this man, let alone touch him. Neither Moses (Nm 12:9-15) nor Elisha (2 Ki 5:1-14) touched the leper they healed.
/skwɪnt/ uk. /skwɪnt/ Add to word list Add to word list. to partly close your eyes in order to see more clearly: The sun was shining straight in her eyes and made her squint.
The expression on your face, and the action of doing this, are both called a squint as well. Squint comes from the now rare adverb asquint, or "from the corner of the eyes."
These second-floor chambers were sometimes equipped with "squints," peepholes concealed in wall decorations by which the owner or steward could keep an eye on what went on below. The lord and lady's chamber, when situated on an upper floor, was called the solar.
deacon, (from Greek diakonos, “helper”), a member of the lowest rank of the threefold Christian ministry (below the presbyter-priest and bishop) or, in various Protestant churches, a lay official, usually ordained, who shares in the ministry and sometimes in the governance of a congregation.
These are: to observe certain feasts, to keep the prescribed fasts, to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days, to confess once a year, to receive Holy Communion during paschal time, to pay tithes, to abstain from any act upon which an interdict has been placed entailing excommunication, to refrain also from any act ...
Pope. The highest honour a member of the clergy can receive is to be elected as the leader of the Catholic Church. The Pope is elected by cardinals under the age of 8- following the death or resignation of a Pope. There is no limit to how many years a Pope may hold his office.
When we tallied all the responses, we learned that the average age of the churches was 92 years old, and the median age was 67 years old. That led me to recall the thousands of churches we have served through Church Answers.
The Catholic Church has always reminded her spiritual children to reflect often, even daily, on "The Four Last Things": Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell.
Church order is the systematically organized set of rules drawn up by a qualified body of a local church. From the point of view of civil law, the church order can be described as the internal law of the church.
The nave is the main part of the church where the congregation (the people who come to worship) sit. The aisles are the sides of the church which may run along the side of the nave. The transept, if there is one, is an area which crosses the nave near the top of the church.
A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.
Gallery. A balcony or mezzanine overlooking the main interior space of a building. In a church the gallery is an upper storey directly above the aisle, with arches looking down into the nave.
