History. The first Christians faced east when praying, likely an outgrowth of the ancient Jewish custom of praying in the direction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Due to this established custom, Tertullian says some non-Christians thought they worshipped the sun.
He resolved an old belief – but uncovered a new mystery.” For those who do not have the time to immerse themselves… the answer is yes, churches do face east , but not perfectly and the discrepancy varies with location. The average 'error' is only 4 degrees, which is pretty good.
There are scriptural roots to this orientation. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says, “For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:27). We believe, therefore, that at the Second Coming, Christ will come from the east.
Nearly every church (and cathedral) in England has the congregation facing forward (almost always east) towards the altar. That has been the case since mediaeval times.
What is the significance of the Church of the East?
The Church of the East traces its history to the earliest planting of Christianity in the Persian Empire. The fact that the church developed outside the Roman Empire and its conciliar process partly explains its particular doctrinal tradition.
Church Architecture: Why Orthodox Churches Face East | Derek J Fiedler & Jonathan Pageau
Why do Christians face east?
Syriac and Arabic Christian apologetics of the 7th century explained that Christians prayed facing east because "the Garden of Eden was planted in the east (Genesis 2:8) and that at the end of time, at the second coming, the Messiah would approach Jerusalem from the east." Saint John of Damascus taught that believers ...
Archaeological evidence confirms that, on eastern walls of what would have been the prayer room in some “house churches”, the sign of the cross was depicted. It is therefore not surprising that consistent with this outlook, churches (and Christian cemeteries) were normally sited and planned on an east-west axis.
The great majority of older European churches face east (the exceptions are ones that were built on restricted sites, so that they couldn't be built on an east-west axis). Many newer churches are too. The origin of this is probably because the sun rises in the east, and the sun symbolises Christ and his resurrection.
As the pious tradition holds, at the Last Judgement, the laity will rise up to meet the Son of God in the east. Priests, however, rise up facing west to see their congregation and be held accountable for how well they stewarded their flock.
This is why in nearly every place and for almost all of Christian history, the priest has stood with his people on the same side of the altar so that, together facing the East of the sacred liturgy, they could offer the pleasing sacrifice of their lives (cf. Romans 12.1) while pleading the sacrifice of Christ. 9.
What direction should we face while praying Christianity?
Since the time of the early Church, the eastward direction of Christian prayer has carried a strong significance, attested by the writings of the Church Fathers.
Just as the star coming from the East led the Wise Men to Christ, so also we face the East in order to allow our hearts to reach Christ, to be one with him as we anticipate the communion of His Holy Body and Blood, that through this spiritual direction we can come to him and worship at his feet, offering our hearts ...
Here the orientation of the Gothic cathedrals in France is discussed and investigated using the satellite maps. Except a few of them, these buildings have the apse facing the rising sun, according to a practice adopted during the middle age. The Latin expression “ad orientem” means eastwards.
When did the Catholic Church split into east and West?
The resulting split divided the European Christian church into two major branches: the Western Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. This split is known as the Great Schism, or sometimes the “East-West Schism” or the “Schism of 1054.”
What are the differences between the east and West churches?
The Western Church speaks of heaven and hell as states of existence rather than as places, while in Eastern Orthodoxy there is no hell per se, there is a "hell" in the absence of God's grace.
An ancient practice of burying dead people six feet underground may have helped mask the odor of decay from predators. Similarly, random disturbances, such as plowing, would be unable to reach a person buried six feet underneath. Preventing the Spread of Disease was another major reason.
Footstone grave markers identify the lower boundary of the gravesite, the way the headstone marks the upper border. This helps visitors avoid walking across the grave, which is deemed disrespectful or bad luck.
Is cremation a sin? Burying the dead was the usual practice in Biblical times, and until recently, the preferred method for most people when they passed. Even though many Bible passages see cremation as necessary in only dire times, nowhere in the Bible is cremation directly condemned.
Christian architecture was made to correspond to civic and imperial forms, and so the Basilica, a large rectangular meeting hall became general in east and west, as the model for churches, with a nave and aisles and sometimes galleries and clerestories.
Many churches are built facing east but facing west is not uncommon. St Peter's in Rome faces west. However the direct might we determined by the shape of the land, other building built before the church etc. Whichever way the church faces, the end where the main alter is placed is called the East End.
However, the qibla is often known traditionally simply as "the west", resulting in mosques built oriented due west or to the direction of sunset—which varies slightly throughout the year.
In summary, Orthodox churches face East in anticipation of the Second Coming of Christ, reminding ourselves of our true home in the paradise of Eden with God. Therefore, not only should our churches face East whenever possible, but also our personal prayer corners in our homes.
One cannot fully appreciate the beauty of these cathedrals without learning a bit of the history behind them. The cathedrals were the cornerstone of French cities, as well as a powerful symbol of Catholicism in Europe.
The term Gothic was coined by classicizing Italian writers of the Renaissance, who attributed the invention (and what to them was the nonclassical ugliness) of medieval architecture to the barbarian Gothic tribes that had destroyed the Roman Empire and its classical culture in the 5th century ce.
Mizrah (Hebrew: מִזְרָח mīzrāḥ) is the Hebrew word for "east" and the direction that Jews in the Diaspora west of Israel face during prayer. Practically speaking, Jews would face the city of Jerusalem when praying, and those north, east, or south of Jerusalem face south, west, and north respectively.
