Bear in mind that this was composed in 1939, well before the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council and some rubrics and requirements may have been modified...Other changes will be noted accordingly. Nevertheless, some may find the history fascinating.
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Questions answered in this chapter:
Why did God command the Israelites to make Him a sanctuary? What "visible signs" indicated God's presence by day and by night? Of what was the Ark of the Covenant a symbol? What is the purpose of the sanctuary in our churches? Compare the tabernacle with the Ark of the Covenant. Why should we reverence the sanctuary?==========================
Upon what architectural plan were the primitive churches built? What was a Roman basilica like? What were the various divisions and the seating arrangements of the Christian basilica? Where was the bishop's throne located? How did a priest celebrate Mass?
What customs and changes made it necessary for the priest to offer Mass with his back to the people? What is a present-day trend in the style of altars? What provisions are sometimes made for the reservation of the Blessed Sacrament?
How is the sanctuary enclosed? Do you know two appropriate names for this enclosure? What is another name for the sanctuary? What was the "rood-screen" and why was it so called? How were these lattices or screens made? What was their purpose?
What are the sedilia and what purpose do they serve? Where were the first sedilia found? What is the credence, where is it located in the sanctuary, and how is it used? What is the ambry? For what is it used and why does it rank next to the tabernacle in sacredness?
What is the purpose of altar and tabernacle societies? What duties do they perform and what are their main objectives? In what spirit should the members strive to follow the regulations of the liturgy?
Again turning to the Book of Exodus we read that God said to Moses: "And they shall make me a sanctuary, and I will dwell in the midst of them" (Exodus XXV, 8). This sanctuary was the "Holy of Holies" of the tabernacle, the "tent" which the Israelites carried about with them during their wanderings in the desert. The "Holy of Holies" was also the most sacred part of Solomon's Temple.
THE SANCTUARY: In the sanctuary of the Old Testament rested the Ark of the Covenant from which God spoke to Moses. Like the tabernacle on our altars, the ark was a visible sign of an invisible Presence: "For the cloud of the Lord hung. over the tabernacle by day, and a fire by night" (Exodus XL,36). The ark is one of the richest and purest symbols of the realities of the New Law.
The sanctuary is the "Holy of Holies" of our church edifices. It is the space reserved for the altar and for the clergy who offer the eucharistic Sacrifice. Like the Ark of the Covenant, the tabernacle upon the altar is the earthly throne, the dwelling place of God. Since the Israelites had so much reverence for the sanctuary which was only a figure or a type of that of the New Testament, how much more should we venerate the sanctuary in our churches where Christ is sacramentally present.
ROMAN AND CHRISTIAN BASILICAS: The primitive Christian churches were modeled upon the architecture of the Roman basilicas, which were magnificent public buildings used for the courts of justice and as meeting places for civic and social assemblies. The typical basilica was an oblong building divided lengthwise by rows of columns. At one end was the entrance and at the other the tribunal where the judges presided. In front of the judges' seat was an altar on which a sacrifice was offered before any official act was performed.
The Constantine style of Christian basilica has been described as being divided into sections or open spaces for convenience in seating various groups during divine services. A section near the entrance was reserved for the catechumens who were dismissed after the Scripture readings (Epistle and Gospel) and the sermon. Then came the "choir," a place reserved for the singers and musicians; next was the sanctuary where the table altar stood. The deacons and the subdeacons had their places near the altar. Back of the altar was a semicircular bench which was occupied by the priests. In the center was an elevated seat or throne from which the bishop officiated and surveyed his congregation. The people sat in the side aisles, the men at the right and the women at the left. Thus the judges' seat became the bishop's throne or "cathedra," but the altar remained in its original position. The priest celebrated Mass facing the people.
FACING THE PEOPLE: This arrangement seems to have prevailed until it became customary to place caskets containing relics of the saints on the altar. In time, as we have learned, reredoses were erected which completely hid the ministers' bench and the bishop's throne. Consequently the clergy seat was moved to the Epistle side of the sanctuary and the bishop's throne to the Gospel side just as we have them today. By the sixteenth century the tabernacle became a permanent fixture in the center of the altar. Thus it came about that the priest of necessity celebrated Mass with his back to the people.
It is encouraging to observe that the present-day trend is towards a better understanding of the social significance of the liturgy and a fuller participation of the faithful in its mysteries. It is, therefore, not surprising that churches are again being built with free-standing table altars at which a priest may celebrate Mass facing the congregation. Where this is customary, provision is made for the Blessed Sacrament to be reserved in a tabernacle on a side altar or in a side chapel.
ENCLOSING THE SANCTUARY: The sanctuary, which should be a few steps higher than the floor of the church, is enclosed by the communion railing, so called. "Communion table" or "holy table" would seem to be more appropriate names. A rail separates, while a table unites those who assemble at it.
Another name for the sanctuary is "chancel," from the Latin word "cancellus," meaning "a lattice." In former times a lattice or "rood-screen" separated the sanctuary from the "nave," or the main body of the church. This lattice was surmounted by a "rood" - a large crucifix, usually accompanied by figures of the Blessed Virgin and St. John. These screens were made of wood, stone, or wrought iron. They were often elaborately carved and gilded. Unlike the curtains that sometimes hung from the ciborium or baldakin and were drawn together in front of the altar during the Consecration of the Mass, the roodscreen seems to have had no liturgical significance. These screens were practical rather than symbolic and served as a protection against drafts.
ALTAR STEPS: The altar must be raised above the floor of the sanctuary by at least one step. If more than one are used they should be odd in number - three, five, or seven. Three steps are usually the rule. The highest step is called the "predella," platform, or foot-pace. During solemn high Mass, the three steps serve to differentiate the rank of the officiating ministers. The subdeacon stands on the floor or lowest step; the deacon on the second; and the celebrant on the highest, the predella. The space occupied by the clergy during solemn functions is called a choir or presbyterium.
It is becoming that the sanctuary and altar steps be covered with carpets. If the floor is of marble or tile, however, a rug should cover the predella of the high altar. Green seems to be the preferred color, but other colors may be used. No sacred symbols, emblems, or monograms should be woven into the pattern of the carpet, because it would be unseemly to walk over figures of holy things.
SEDILIA, CREDENCE, AND AMBRY: We have already referred to the seat which stands on the Epistle side of the sanctuary as the clergy seat and the ministers' bench, but the liturgical name of this piece of ecclesiastical furniture is sedilia, which is the plural form of the Latin word "sedile," meaning "seat." These seats are used by the officiating clergy during the celebration of solemn high Mass and other liturgical functions. The first sedilia were found in the catacombs where a single stone seat stood on the Epistle side of the altar.
The credence is a small table of wood or marble which stands near the wall on the Epistle side of the sanctuary. On it are placed the cruets, laver and finger towel required during the celebration of the Mass. During a solemn high Mass, the chalice, already prepared, and the humeral veil also rest on the credence table from the beginning of Mass until the Offertory. In some churches the credence is merely a niche in the wall or a bracket attached to the wall.
On the Gospel side of the sanctuary is the ambry, which ranks next to the tabernacle in point of sacredness. It consists of a locked box fastened to the wall, or of a safe built into the wall itself. The three holy oils, which are used in the administration of certain sacraments, in consecrations, and in various blessings, are preserved in the ambry. Like the tabernacle, the ambry should be situated so that the rays of the sanctuary lamp will shine upon it continually.
SOCIETIES: In nearly every parish there is a society organized for the purpose of caring for the altar and sanctuary. These groups are usually called altar or tabernacle societies. Their duties are determined by conditions and circumstances which prevail in the parishes to which they are attached. In small parishes members of such a group perform the duties of the sacristan. Usually the main objectives are to receive Holy Communion an a body once a month and to provide funds for the maintenance of the altar. The society supplies candles, hosts, altar wine, flowers, linens, vestments, sacred vessels, and other things which are needed for divine services. Since the Church has made precise regulations in regard to the accessories of the sanctuary, members of altar guilds should study these regulations carefully and strive to follow them according to the letter and the spirit of the liturgy.
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Adapted from Altar and Sanctuary, An Exposition of the Externals of the Mass
by Angela A. Glendenin (© 1939)
Published by the Catholic Action Committee
The Catholic Action Series of Discussion Club Textbooks
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