Narthex
The entrance hall of an early Christian church which was reserved for those who were not (yet) admitted to the actual church community: penitents and the unbaptised. The latter also explains why the baptismal font was located near the narthex.
Central nave
The space between the two central series of pillars of the nave.
Radiating chapel
A chapel on the curved back wall of the choir. In the symbolism of the cruciform floor plan, in which the choir stands for the head of the crucified Jesus, these chapels form, as it were, a halo around this head. This accounts for their name: ‘radiating chapels’.
Ambulatory
Processional way around the chancel, to which choir chapels and radiating chapels, if any, give way.
Choir chapel
A chapel along one of the straight side walls of the choir.
Choir
In a church with a cruciform floor plan, the part of the church that lies on the side of the nave opposite to the transept. The main altar is in the choir.
Monastery
Complex of buildings in which members of a religious order live together. They follow the rule of their founder. The oldest monastic orders are the Carthusians, Dominicans, Franciscans, and Augustinians [and their female counterparts]. Note: Benedictines, Premonstratensians, and Cistercians [and their female counterparts] live in abbeys; Jesuits in houses.
Cathedral
The main church of a diocese, where the bishop’s seat is.
Chapel
A small church that is not a parish church. It may be part of a larger entity such as a hospital, school, or an alms-house, or it may stand alone. An enclosed part of a church with its own altar.
ChancelChancel
In a large choir with several parts, the chancel is that part of the choir where the main altar is located.
