altar

Table (usually of stone) on which sacrifice is offered; in Christian churches, the table where the Eucharist is performed.

Early sacrificial hearths have been excavated in Palestine. Later there were two kinds of altar in use among the Jews, for burnt offering and incense respectively. In ancient Greece and Rome, altars were low pedestals that stood inside the temple before the sacred image, or large raised areas in the open air, used for burnt sacrifice. Christian altars came into use with the cessation of persecution, and were erected over the relics of martyrs.

Altars have always been places of refuge, and frequently places for the solemnization of oaths.

In Christian churches, the altar is usually sited on a raised level at the east end of the church, in an area known as the sanctuary, chancel, or presbytery. In traditional Roman Catholic and Anglican churches, the altar will usually be covered with a richly embroidered cloth, upon which will stand a cross and candlesticks.