ABSP - Religious Buildings

Religious Buildings

Words

abbey	a building inhabited by a community of monks or nuns governed by an abbot or abbess.
adytum	the sacred part of a temple or church; a church chancel > ADYTA.
aisle	a side division of the nave or other part of a church or similar building, generally separated off by pillars.
aisled	having AISLES.
aisleless	without an aisle.
almemar	a rostrum in a synagogue, a BEMA.
	a recess for church vessels, a cupboard.
altar	a raised structure used in worship.
ambery	see ALMERY.
ambry	see ALMERY.
ambulatory	an aisle down the east end of a church, behind the altar.
antechapel	an anteroom to a chapel or church.
antechoir	the space in front of the CHOIR in a church.
apse	a rounded extension at the end of a building, especially at the east end of a church.
apsidal	having shape of an APSE; pertaining to an APSIS.
apsidiole	a subsidiary APSE, a rounded extension at end of building, especially at east end of church.
ashram asrama	the dwelling of a Hindu religious philosopher.
aumbry	see ALMERY.
awmrie	see ALMERY.
awmry	see ALMERY.
baptistery baptistry	that part of a church (or, formerly, a separate building adjacent to a church) used for baptism.
basilic	pertaining to a BASILICA.
basilica	a large oblong hall with double colonnades and a semicircular apse; a Roman Catholic church with honorific privileges > BASILICAS or BASILICAE.
basilical basilican	of, relating to, or resembling, a BASILICA.
beadhouse bedehouse	a house for prayer, a CHAPEL.
belfried	having a BELFRY.
belfry	the part of a church housing the bells.
bema bima bimah	a synagogue platform > BEMAS or BEMATA; BIMAS, BIMAHS.
bethel	a place of worship for seamen; a nonconformist chapel. [Hebrew 'house of god'].
bethesda	a Nonconformist church building.
bima bimah	see BEMA.
calefactory	a monastery sitting room.
campanile	a freestanding bell tower on church property > CAMPANILI or CAMPANILES.
cantorial cantoris	located on the north side of the choir in a church.
capitol	a citadel on top of a hill; esp. the temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, on the Saturnian or Tarpeian (later called Capitoline) Hill at Rome.
cathedra	the chair or throne of office of a bishop or other high official > CATHEDRAS or CATHEDRAE.
cathedral	the principal church in a diocese, so called because in it the bishop has his official chair (cathedra).
cella	the inner chamber of a classical temple > CELLAE.
cenacle coenacle	the room where the Last Supper was eaten; also, a clique or circle, especially of writers
chancel	the part of a church containing the altar and seats for choir.
chantry chauntry	a chapel or altar built for prayers for its benefactor's soul.
chapel	a place of Christian worship in a larger building, esp. a place set apart, with a separate altar, in a church or cathedral.
chapterhouse	the building attached to a cathedral, collegiate church, or religious house in which the chapter meets.
chevet	the east end of (especially French Gothic) church or chancel.
choirstalls	fixed seats in the choir of a church, generally of carved wood. N.B. no CHOIRSTALL*.
chorten	a Buddhist shrine.
church	a building designed for public forms of worship, esp. Christian worship; (verb) to bring someone to church.
churchless	without a church.
churchliness	the state of being CHURCHLY, resembling a church.
churchly	resembling a church > CHURCHLIER, CHURCHLIEST.
churchy	associated with or reminiscent of churches > CHURCHIER, CHURCHIEST.
ciborium	a freestanding canopy to cover an altar; a vessel for holding eucharistic bread > CIBORIA.
claustral cloistral	of, like, or characteristic of a CLOISTER.
clearstory clerestory	the upper storey of a church; windows near the roof of a building.
cloister	a covered arcade forming part of a monastic or collegiate establishment.
conclave	the room in which cardinals meet to elect a pope; any secret assembly.
convent	a place for nuns; (verb, arch.) to be suitable for.
covent	a CONVENT.
crypt	an underground cell or chapel.
cryptal	pertaining to or like a crypt.
dagaba dagoba	a dome-shaped structure built over relics of Buddha or some Buddhist saint.
darbar	a hall in a Sikh temple.
darga dargah durgah	a structure over a place where a holy person was buried or cremated.
decani	the dean's (south) side of a choir, as opposed to the CANTORIS side.
delubrum	a font, a temple or shrine having a font > DELUBRUMS.
dharmsala dharmshala	a building having a religious or charitable purpose, a free or cheap lodging for travellers.
diaconicon	a sacristy for sacred vessels in Orthodox churches > DIACONICONS.
duomo	a cathedral > DUOMI or DUOMOS.
durgah	see DARGA.
ebenezer	a memorial stone set up by Samuel after the victory of Mizpeh; a chapel or religious meeting place. [Hebrew eben-ha-ezedr, stone of help].
exedra exhedra	a semicircular bench beside an episcopal throne; an outdoor bench or recess > EXEDRAE, EXHEDRAE.
faldistory	the throne or seat of a bishop within the chancel.
faldstool	a prayer desk from which the Litany is read at church service; a bishop's round armless chair.
fane	a temple.
fenestella	a recess in church wall for storing communion vessels > FENESTELLAS or FENESTELLAE.
feretory	a (portable) shrine containing the relics of a saint; a small room or chapel in which shrines were deposited.
frithstool	a seat in churches near the altar, to which offenders formerly fled for sanctuary.
galilee	a small chapel or porch at western end of some medieval English churches.
genizah	a room adjoining a synagogue used to store old or damaged books > GENIZAHS, GENIZOT, GENIZOTH.
gompa	a Buddhist temple or monastery in Tibet.
gopura gopuram	in Southern India, a pyramidal tower over the gateway of a temple.
gradin gradine	a raised step or ledge behind an altar.
gradino	a decoration for an altar GRADIN > GRADINI.
gurdwara	a Sikh place of worship which includes a place where the scripture is housed. [Punjabi from Skr. guru, teacher, + dvara, door].
hagioscope	an opening cut in the wall of a church to enable viewing of the altar.
iconostas iconostasis	in Eastern churches, a screen separating the sanctuary from the nave. Pl. in both cases ICONOSTASES.
jube	a rood-loft, or screen and gallery. [L. imperative of jubere, to command].
kirk	church; (verb) to bring to church.
kirkton	the village in which the parish church stands.
kirkyaird kirkyard	a churchyard.
kiva	an underground chamber used in religious rites by Pueblo Indians. [Hopi].
lamaserai lamasery	a monastery or convent of lamas, in Tibet, Mongolia, etc.
langar	a dining hall in a GURDWARA.
laura lavra	a group of huts or cells inhabited by reclusive monks in Egypt and the Middle East > LAURAE or LAURAS; LAVRAS.
lectern lecturn lettern	a reading desk or support in a church.
lichgate lychgate	the roofed gate of a churchyard.
mandir mandira	a Hindu or Jain temple.
mani	a stone prayer wall in a Tibetan Buddhist temple, usu. carved with sacred images or texts > MANIES or MANIS.
manse	a house allocated to or occupied by a minister, esp. in the Church of Scotland.
martyrium	a shrine erected in memory of a martyr > MARTYRIA.
martyry	a shrine, chapel or monument in memmory of a martyr.
masjid musjid	a mosque.
mechitza	a screen in a synagogue separating men and women > MECHITZAS or MECHITZOT.
megachurch	a church, usually Protestant, with a very large congregation, typically housed in a complex offering sophisticated multimedia presentations and a range of secular facilities and services.
meetinghouse	the place in which certain religious groups, esp. Quakers, hold their meetings for worship.
mihrab	a niche or slab in a mosque marking the direction of Mecca.
mikvah	a place for ritual bathing by Orthodox Jews > MIKVAHS or MIKVOTH.
mikveh	a place for ritual bathing by Orthodox Jews > MIKVEHS, MIKVOS or MIKVOT.
mimbar minbar	a mosque pulpit.
minaret	a tall tower or turret connected with a mosque, from which a muezzin calls at hours of prayer. [Arabic manarat, from nar, fire].
minareted	having a MINARET.
minbar	see MIMBAR.
minster	a church associated with a monastery.
misericord misericorde	a bracket on a turn-up seat in a choirstall, allowing the user some support when standing.
monastery	the residence of a religious community, esp. of monks, living in seclusion from secular society and bound by religious vows.
monopteral	resembling a MONOPTERON.
monopteron	a circular temple with one ring of columns > MONOPTERA.
mosk mosque	an Islamic temple.
naos	the inner cell of a temple > NAOI or NAOSES.
narthex	a small entrance or porch to a church.
nave	the largest part of a church, where the congregation sits.
nef	a church nave.
nunnery	the convent or religious house of a community of nuns.
nymphaeum	a temple, sanctuary or grotto of the nymphs > NYMPHAEA or NYMPHAEUMS.
oratory	a small chapel for private prayer.
pagod pagoda	an Eastern temple, esp. in the form of a many-storeyed tapering tower. [Persian butkhada, idol temple].
pantheon	a temple dedicated to all the gods, or where images or other memorials of all the gods of a nation are collected. [After Pantheon, a domed circular temple in Rome, built c. 120 AD].
parabema	in Byzantine architecture, a chapel walled off from the BEMA > PARABEMATA.
parclose	a railing in a church enclosing altar, chapel or tomb.
parsonage	the home of a parson.
parvis parvise	an enclosed area, often surrounded with colonnades or porticoes, in front of a building, esp. a cathedral or church.
pastorium	the home of a pastor > PASTORIUMS.
peculiar	strange > PECULIARLY; (noun) a parish or church exempt from the jurisdiction of the diocese in which it lies > PECULIARS.
penetralia	the innermost or most private parts, esp. of a temple or palace; hidden things or secrets.
penetralian	relating to PENETRALIA, the innermost or most private parts e.g. of a temple.
pew	a bench in a church.
piscina	a basin set in wall of church to drain away ceremonial water > PISCINAE or PISCINAS.
piscinal	belonging to a fishpond or a PISCINA.
poppyhead	a raised ornament on top of the upright end of seats in churches.
precinct	a space, esp an enclosed one, around a building (e.g. a cathedral, college, etc).
predella	a platform for an altar; a portable altar or decoration upon it > PREDELLAS or PREDELLE.
priory	a monastery or convent governed by a prior or prioress.
procathedral	a parish church serving as a cathedral.
pronaos	a vestibule in front of a temple > PRONAOI.
proseucha	a place of prayer, an oratory > PROSEUCHAE.
proseuche	a place of prayer, an oratory > PROSEUCHAE.
pulpit	a raised structure for preaching from.
pulpital	relating to a PULPIT.
pulpited	having a PULPIT.
pulpitum	a gigantic stone screen separating cathedral choir from the nave > PULPITUMS.
purgatory	a place or state in which souls are after death purified from venial sins.
rectory	a minister's or priest's house.
refectory	the dining-hall of a monastery or other institution.
repository	a side altar in a Catholic church.
reredos reredosse	a usually ornamental wood/stone screen or wall behind an altar > REREDOSES, REREDOSSES.
retable	a shelf or ornamental setting for panels behind an altar.
retrochoir	the part of a cathedral or large church behind the high altar.
revestiary revestry	a vestry.
sacrarial	of or like a SACRARIUM.
sacrarium	the sanctuary or sacristy (room housing sacred vessels) of a church; a piscina (stone basin for ablutions) > SACRARIA.
sacristy	a room in a church where sacred objects are kept.
sanctum	a sacred place; a very private room > SANCTA or SANCTUMS.
schul shul	a synagogue > SCHULN or SCHULS; SHULS or SHULN.
scriptorium	a writing room, especially of scribes in medieval monastery > SCRIPTORIA or SCRIPTORIUMS.
sedile sedilium	a kind of seat in a church, usu. in pl > SEDILIA.
sekos	a sacred enclosure in an ancient Egyptian temple > SEKOSES.
sepulcher sepulchre	a receptacle in an altar for holding religious relics; (verb) to place in a sepulcher.
sepulchrous	of or like a SEPULCHRE.
shrinal	relating to a SHRINE.
shrine	a place of worship hallowed by association with a sacred person or object, esp. the tomb of a saint or other holy person; (verb) to build a shrine to.
shrinelike	like a SHRINE.
shul	see SCHUL.
spireless	without a spire.
stasidion	a stall in a Greek church > STASIDIONS.
stupa	a mound or monument commemorative of Buddha.
subsellium	one of the stalls of the lower range where there are two ranges > SUBSELLIA.
succah sukkah	a hut or shelter roofed with branches, used by Jews as a temporary living accommodation during Sukkoth, the Festival of the Tabernacles > SUCCAHS. SUCCOT or SUCCOTH; SUKKOT, SUKKOTH or SUKKAHS.
synagog synagogue	a Jewish church. [Gk. synagoge, from syn, together + agoge, a bringing, from agein to lead].
synagogal	relating to a SYNAGOG, a Jewish church.
synthronus	the seat of a bishop and his presbyters, behind the altar > SYNTHRONI.
tabernacle	the tent carried by the Jews through the desert, used as a temple and to house the Ark of the Covenant; a tent or movable hut; (verb) to sojourn.
temenos	a place dedicated to a god; a sacred precinct > TEMENE.
temple	a building or place dedicated to the worship of a deity or deities.
templed	supplied with or inclosed in a TEMPLE.
teocalli	an ancient Mexican or Central American place of worship, usually consisting of a truncated pyramid surmounted by a temple > TEOCALLIS. [Nahuatl teotl, god + calli, house].
teopan	a TEOCALLI, an Aztec pyramid temple.
theologate	a seminary for RC priests.
toran torana	in the Indian subcontinent, a sacred Buddhist gateway.
torii	a Shinto temple gateway. No —S.
transenna	a screen enclosing a SHRINE > TRANSENNAS. [L. transenna, trellis].
transept	the part of a church off to one side of main structure.
transeptal	of or like a TRANSEPT, the part of a church off to one side of main structure.
triapsal triapsidal	having three APSES.
undercroft	an underground room or vault, esp under a church; a CRYPT.
vestral	relating to a VESTRY.
vestry	a priest's dressing room.
vicarage	the habitation of a vicar.
vihara	a Buddhist or Jain temple or precinct.
vimana	in the Indian subcontinent, the central tower enclosing the shrine in a temple.
wat	a Thai Buddhist temple or monastery.

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