Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

chancel

 
Dictionary: chan·cel   (chăn'səl) pronunciation
n.
The space around the altar of a church for the clergy and sometimes the choir, often enclosed by a lattice or railing.

[Middle English chauncel, from Old French chancel, from Late Latin cancellus, latticework, sing. of Latin cancellī. See cancel.]


Search unanswered questions...
Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics
Architecture: chancel
Top

The sanctuary of a church, including the choir; reserved for the clergy.



[Co]

The part of a church to the east of the nave, often separated by a screen, containing the altar. The chancel was often the portion appropriated by singers and is sometimes called the choir.

 
chancel, primarily that part of the church close to the altar and used by the officiating clergy. In the early churches it was separated from the nave by a low parapet or open railing (cancellus), its name being thus derived. San Clemente at Rome has one of the few preserved examples. With the development of the choir, additional space was taken, between the sanctuary and the nave, for the accommodation of the canons and singers. The chancel rail was moved forward, and the entire space became known as the choir, although it is also termed the chancel; there is no strict differentiation in the usage. In the Middle Ages the chancel rail was replaced by lofty choir screens (see rood), especially in English cathedrals and in monastic churches.


Translations: Chancel
Top

Dansk (Danish)
n. - kor

Nederlands (Dutch)
(kerk)koor

Français (French)
n. - ch¯ur

Deutsch (German)
n. - Chor, Altarraum

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (θρησκ.) άγιο βήμα, ιερό (εκκλησίας)

Italiano (Italian)
coro, presbiterio

Português (Portuguese)
n. - capela-mor (f)

Русский (Russian)
алтарь

Español (Spanish)
n. - coro y presbiterio

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - högkor

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
高坛

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 高壇

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 성단소

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 内陣

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) جز من كنيسه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮במת הכנסייה, מזרח הכנסייה‬


 
 
Learn More
balustrata (architecture)
chancel screen
chancel rail

Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Architecture. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Archaeology Dictionary. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology. Copyright © 2002, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more