Atrium
The term indicated the main court of a Roman house. It was also used to describe the covered court in front of the main doors of a church or basilica. People entered the church through the atrium.
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.