
Cluj-Napoca Orthodox Cathedral - interior view
The lectern in the foreground is where the reader will read the Epistle reading fo rhte day.
Beyond that is the iconostasis (Iconwall) . The lectern partially covers the Royal Doors which are opened during the liturgy.
The large area is the nave. It comes from the Greek word for "boat". The Church is seen as the Ark (boat) in which believers are saved from the wages of sin.
The church is laid out like the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. You enter from the West into the narthex which is like the court of the temple. The nave is the Holy Place where the prayers of the faithful are offered. Beyond the iconostasis is the "equivalent" of the "Holy of Holies" when the priest presides over the liturgy (work of the people in worship) before God.
The congregation faces the East.
There are no chairs or pews seen because the Orthodox stand for the liturgy. (Though there may be oriental carpets on the floors on which the congregation might sit while the priest or bishop is delivering the homily) There are some seats around the side for older people and the infirm.
jim again |