According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tabernacle, also known as the Tent of the Congregation, was the portable earthly dwelling place of Yahweh used by the Israelites from the Exodus until the conquest of Canaan. Moses was instructed at Mount Sinai to construct and transport the tabernacle with the Israelites on their journey through the wilderness and their subsequent conquest of the Promised Land. After 440 years, Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem superseded it as the dwelling-place of God.
A sanctuary lamp, chancel lamp, altar lamp, everlasting light, or eternal flame is a light that shines before the altar of sanctuaries in many Jewish and Christian places of worship. Prescribed in Exodus 27:20-21 of the Torah, this icon has taken on different meanings in each of the religions that have adopted it. The passage, which refers to prescriptions for the tabernacle, states:
And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. In the tabernacle of the congregation without the veil, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel. (KJV)
The Holy of Holies or HaDvir is a term in the Hebrew Bible which refers to the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle where God's presence appeared. According to Hebrew Tradition, the area was defined by four pillars which held up the veil of the covering, under which the Ark of the Covenant was held above the floor. The Ark according to Hebrew Scripture contained the Ten Commandments, which were given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. King Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, where the Ark of the Covenant was supposed to be kept.
A tabernacle is a fixed, locked box in which, in some Christian churches, the Eucharist is "reserved" (stored). A less obvious container for the same purpose, set into a wall, is called an aumbry.
In many Christian churches there is an altar lamp, also known as a chancel lamp, which is found in the chancel (sanctuary), either hanging or fixed. In Anglican, Old Catholic and Roman Catholic churches, the chancel lamp burns before a tabernacle or ambry to demonstrate the belief that Christ is present there through His Real Presence, as the Blessed Sacrament is reserved in these denominations. It is also found in the chancel of Lutheran and Methodist churches to indicate the presence of Christ in the sanctuary, as well as a belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The sanctuary lamp may also be seen in Eastern Orthodox Churches. Other Christian denominations burn the lamp to show that the light of Christ always burns in a sin-darkened world.
Wreckovation is a portmanteau term coined by Catholics to describe the style of modern renovations which some historic Catholic cathedrals, churches, and oratories have undergone since the Second Vatican Council and which they oppose.
The Church of the Holy Name of Jesus on Oxford Road, Manchester, England was designed by Joseph A. Hansom and built between 1869 and 1871. The tower, designed by Adrian Gilbert Scott, was erected in 1928 in memory of Fr Bernard Vaughan, SJ. The church has been Grade I listed on the National Heritage List for England since 1989, having previously been Grade II* listed since 1963.
The Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians is a church in Turin, northern Italy. Originally part of the home for poor boys founded by John Bosco, it now contains the remains of Bosco, and 6,000 relics of other saints.
Pollagh, also spelled Pullough, is a village in County Offaly, Ireland, located in the midlands of Ireland. It is a rural village on the Grand Canal and lies between Ferbane and Tullamore. Much of the surrounding area is bogland, and is used to produce fossil fuels such as peat turf. The River Brosna flows close to the village. The Grand Canal was used for transporting peat and bricks produced in the area. Pollagh benefited from the canal in earlier years when it brought investment and employment from Bord na Móna, and it is now a tourist attraction. Pollagh is also known for its church, including its bog oak altar and stained glass windows, designed by the Harry Clarke studios.
Aschbach is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in the Grand Est region of north-eastern France.
The Long View Center is a historic church building located in the Moore Square Historic District of Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. The facility sits directly across from Moore Square, one of two surviving four-acre parks from Raleigh's original 1792 plan. Built between 1879 and 1881, Long View was originally known as Tabernacle Baptist Church. The name of the building was changed to Long View Center in 1998 after a local developer purchased the property to be used as a mixed-use facility. After a purchase in December 2013, it is now owned by Vintage Church. Currently, the sanctuary and offices are used by Vintage Church and Sunday services are held by Vintage Church Downtown.
In the Catholic Church, the altar is the structure upon which the Eucharist is celebrated.
East Avenue Tabernacle Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, also known as the Great Aunt Stella Center, is a historic Associate Reformed Presbyterian church located at 927 Elizabeth Street in Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. It was designed by architect James M. McMichael in a Classical Revival style. It consists of a two-story sanctuary, built in 1914, and a four-story educational wing added to the south side of the sanctuary in 1925. The sanctuary has a Greek cross plan with a central octagon with shallow two-story wings that terminate in low parapeted walls. The sanctuary is topped by a copper dome and has a monumental porch with a brick pediment. In 1998 East Avenue Tabernacle merged with the Craig Avenue Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Ultimately the church became the Craig Avenue Tabernacle A.R.P. Church. Thus ironically through the years the name changed from East to Craig Avenue. The building now houses a community center and charter school.
Brooklyn Tabernacle is an evangelical non-denominational megachurch located at 17 Smith Street at the Fulton Mall in downtown Brooklyn, New York City. The senior pastor is Jim Cymbala.
The Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Vita is a late-Baroque-style, Roman Catholic church in central Bologna, near the Piazza Maggiore.
An altar society or altar guild is a group of laypersons in a parish church who maintain the ceremonial objects used in worship. Traditionally, membership was limited to women and their most common functions are making floral arrangements for the sanctuary, caring for linens, and holding fundraisers to purchase items for the sanctuary, including vestments and altar vessels.
The Santuario del Romituzzo is a 15th-century Roman Catholic oratory/sanctuary church built just outside of the town of Poggibonsi, region of Tuscany, Italy.
San Pietro a Varlungo is Roman Catholic church located on via di Varlungo in Florence, Italy. It was located outside of the former late-medieval walls of Florence.
Mary Immaculate Church is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic church located on the corner of Ipswich Road and Ferndale Street, Annerley, Queensland, Australia in the Archdiocese of Brisbane.
The Parish Church of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady is a Roman Catholic parish church in Ħamrun, Malta. It was built between 1958 and 1963 and it took over the role of an oratory dedicated to the Immaculate Conception which had been established in Ħamrun in 1923. It has been a parish church since 1968.