Dictionary
A modern dictionary of Catholic terms, both common and obscure. Find accurate definitions of words and phrases.
SANCTUARY
The part of a church containing the altar. If there are several altars, the sanctuary is for the high altar. In the Byzantine tradition it is enclosed by the iconostasis. I is th center of liturgical ceremony, clearly distinct from the main body of the church. (Etym. Latin sanctuarium, holy place, shrine.)
All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.
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