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Side Altar
An altar that is not the main or high altar of a church and therefore located to the side of the main or high altar. It may be located in a niche or chapel of the church. The early Christian practice was for there to be only one altar in each church, with only one celebration of the eucharist in each church on any day. This practice has continued in the eastern church. However, there was a multiplication of altars in many churches of the west during the middle ages. The proliferation of altars in churches has been associated with the celebration of private Masses and the multiplication of Masses for special intentions. Depending on the architectural design of the church, the symbolic power and focus of the main altar may be weakened by the presence of side altars. In many Episcopal parishes, a side altar is used for weekday celebrations of the eucharist that are usually attended by small congregations.
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Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from "An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians," Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors. |
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