Describe what you may find in Christian Holy buildings Essays

Describe what you may find in Christian Holy buildings Essays Describe what you may find in Christian Holy buildings Essay Describe what you may find in Christian Holy buildings Essay A: The Christian religion is made of many denominations depending on its style of worship. There are many types of Christian holy buildings, Roman Catholic, Church of England, Orthodox, Methodist, Baptist and Quaker. All of these different places of worship contain different furnishings, different size of furnishings and from being very ornate to very simplistic.Some of the main furnishings are:Altar: The altar is a table within the chancel that is used for Communion. It is, literally, the table on which we celebrate Communion. Today, its generally known as the altar, while churches and traditional people tend to call it a Communion table.Baptistery: In a Roman church, the water source was in the inside the front door. The baptistery consists of a stand with a water basin on top.Chancel: The chancel is the front part of the church from which the service is conducted, as notable from the nave, where the congregation sits. The chancel is usually an elevated platform, usually three step s up from the nave. The chancel represents heavenIcons: An icon is a highly conventional religious painting on wood. The icon follows detailed artistic conventions.Iconostasis: In Orthodox churches, the nave is separated by a thin wall that generally does not reach all the way to the ceiling. It is covered with icons whose subject and placement is significant. It is called an iconostasis.Lectern: The stands at the front of church (as viewed by the congregation) are called the lectern. The word lectern comes from the Latin word meaning to read, because the lectern primarily functions as a reading stand. The lectern leads congregation into prayer, in some churches, the positions of the pulpit and the lectern are reversed (that is, pulpit is on the right and the lectern is on the left.Nave: The place where the congregation gathers for worship, as opposed to the front part of the church from which the service is led.Pews: Long backed bench upon which congregants sit.Pulpit: Where the pr eacher stands, it is located in the front of the church. The one on the left (as viewed by the congregation) is called the pulpit. It is used to read the gospel and preach the sermon. Since the gospel is usually read from the pulpit, the pulpit side of the church is called the Gospel side. In some churches, the positions of the pulpit and the lectern are reversed (that is, pulpit is on the right and the lectern is on the left) for architectural or aesthetic reasons.Transept: a space between the chancel and the nave that extends the side walls, giving the church a crucifix floor plan-meaning that it is cross-shaped when viewed from Arial view.In the Church of England you will find a fair amount of the furnishings named above. This is the more elaborate church out of the six along with Roman Catholic. To be precise it would contain a high altar this is where the Eucharist is celebrated and isnt the same as a normal altar its slightly raised to be visible to the congregation, chancel i s area around the altar for the clergy and choir, choir stalls for the choir to assemble and sing hymns, pulpit is an elevated platform or stand used in preaching or conducting a service., lectern a stand upon which a speaker may rest their books.May be standing, which is also used for preaching, nave is the central area of a church where the congregation is seated among the pews, organ is the large wind instrument thats played when entering and leaving a service. Lastly the north and south transept are the two ends of the transept of the church, the back and front of the cruciform plan. You will find other features stained glass windows, Hymn book stands, tabernacles, hassocks, icons of doves, bread and wine, lambs and chi-rho carved into furnishings which all symbolise different things, and inri meaning Nazareth king of Jesus knitted onto hassocks.In the Roman Catholic Church you will also find a fair amount of the furnishings above just like the Church of England, the more ornate churches out of all six denominations. Inside you would find a porch where you enter the service leading into the nave where you will sit among the pews, an altar where the Eucharist or Divine Liturgy takes place its the table in Christian churches where communion is given, a confessional a booth where a priest sits to hear confessions privately, a sanctuary is where the altar is and its slightly raised its where the scared objects are kept, a stoup is a basin filled with holy water where you can bless yourself often just outside the entrance or just inside the entrance, a font which is where you get baptized and the priest enter you into the Christian community, a tabernacle which is a small cupboard built into the wall where the bread and wine is kept, stallions of the cross which are on either side of the nave stallions of the cross on the wall, organ loft is where the organ is played and where the choir may sit and sing hymns, pulpit is where the priest leads and preaches durin g the service, and lastly the lady chapel which is a smallerChapel with an altar to the Virgin Mary within the church often by the north or south transept by the side of the sanctuary. You will find other features stained glass windows, rosary, tabernacles, and icons of doves, bread and wine, lambs, chi-rho carved into furnishings which all symbolise different things, and inri meaning Nazareth king of Jesus knitted onto hassocks .In an orthodox church you will find less furnishings than in a Roman Catholic Church and Church of England, it will also be less ornate and a little smaller in size. The furnishings it will have are, Aisles down either side of the nave to bring bread and wine to the altar, the nave which the central area which is where the pews are situated, there are steps going up to the royal doors, theres an iconostasis which is a screen decorated with icons dividing the sanctuary from the nave. There is a choir but smaller than what you would find in the Roman Catholic and Church of England, theres a curtain behind the royal doors in front of the altar, and on either side of the altar is a Diaconium where garments and service books are kept and on the other side a Prothesis where the bread and wine is kept before consecration.Within a Baptist church which is similar to an orthodox church it contains aisles just like the Orthodox Church however they are two main aisles which separate the pews into there rows, the nave which the central area which is where the pews are situated forming a aircraft aisle formation. It has an organ to play when entering and leaving the service and when the choir are singing hymns, theres a altar or communion table where consecration takes place and just in front theres the baptistery which is designed to accommodate the font for baptism removable floorboards are where a pool is, theres a pulpit situated behind the altar where the priest ill preach and lead services and behind the pulpit is the ministers room where the consecrated bread and wine of the Eucharist is kept, and vestrys on either side of the ministers room to leave garments, books.In a Methodist church which again is similar to the Orthodox and Baptist Churches contains and organ to be played at the beginning and end of services, a pulpit where the priest will preach and lead services this also has steps leading up to it which it doesnt in other churches, a communion table also known as the alter where consecration takes place, pews which are separated into three columns by two aisles just like the Baptist church forming an aircraft formation, cloakrooms at the back to leave books and the priests garments, a ministers vestry to leave the consecration and a choir vestry to leave garments and hassocks, theres is lastly a vestibule at the back of the church which is a large entrance or reception room or areaA Quaker Church is the most simplistic of all six of these churches, its so simplistic Quakers themselves call it a meeting house r ather than a church, it has no signs or symbols, it is a room with a table in the middle with chairs around and a bible on the table.People go to church to worship god, to be close to God, to go and ask for there sins to be taken away, to ask God for something or even to go for the peace and quiet. By taking part Christians are taking on board what Jesus did at the last supper and can reflect on how they can change there actions in their daily lives to be more like Jesus himself, Christians will also go to church to celebrate different seasons such as Pentecost, Easter, Trinity, Weddings, Christmas and funerals.Seasons will also differ what will be inside churches, not necessarily the furnishings but additional objects or decorations. At funerals there will be lots of black and reflecting at such an emotional time, at Christmas and Weddings yellow and gold will be present showing divinity and happiness celebrating the birth of Jesus and the start of a strong marriage. Nativity scene s, advent wreaths, christingle all on Christmas, also Easter Sunday will be celebrated with white and gold colours and eggs will be additional decorations. Wooden crosses, crow of thorns and nails on Good Friday showing Jesus dyeing on the cross. Feats of food at harvest festival, Red representing the Holy spirit at Pentecost and lastly green at trinity.Elaborate and simplistic churches both are close to god and they are just different denominations and styles of being close to god, whether decorations, icons, carvings and stained glass windows signify different things all of these churches and denominations are worshiping God and thats being close to God. Even worshiping god at your own home is being close to God because he is everywhere all the time and respects us all equally, therefore will not listen to those will the most ornate, glamorous, biggest place of worship.