the.com/chancel
the church's VIP section, fenced off so commoners couldn't crowd the holy staff.
means The part of a church near the altar, reserved for the clergy and choir, often set apart from the nave by a screen or railing.
from From Latin *cancelli*, "a lattice" or "grating" — the little crossbars that once divided the holy end of the church from the rest. That same *cancelli* gives us "cancel" (to strike through with crossing lines) — so the chancel is, quite literally, the area behind the bars.
- name origin
- From Latin cancelli, meaning lattice or screen
- the divide
- Often separated from the nave by a rood screen
- clergy turf
- Reserved for priests and choir, not the congregation
- upkeep wars
- Medieval law made rectors fund chancel repairs forever
- orientation
- Traditionally placed at the church's eastern end
canterbury cathedral chancel — 13th-century gothic choir and altar area in kent, england, where thomas becket was murdered in 1170
notre-dame de chartres chancel — 12th-century romanesque sanctuary in chartres, france, famous for its stained glass and ornate stonework