The
Prothesis is the place in the
sanctuarySanctuary has multiple meanings. A sanctuary is the consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar. An animal sanctuary is a place where animals live and are protected...
in which the
Liturgy of PreparationThe Liturgy of Preparation, also Prothesis or Proskomedia , is the name given in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Byzantine-rite Eastern Catholic Churches to the act of preparing the bread and wine for the Eucharist...
takes place in the
Eastern OrthodoxThe Orthodox Church, also officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to in English speaking countries as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the world's second largest Christian communion, estimated to number 225 million members...
and Greek-Catholic Churches.
The Prothesis is located behind the
IconostasisIn Eastern Christianity an iconostasis , also called the templon, is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church...
and consists of a small table, also known as the
Table of Oblation, on which the bread and wine are prepared for the
Divine LiturgyThe Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. As such, it is used in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches. Armenian Christians, both of the Armenian Apostolic Church and of the Armenian Catholic Church, use the...
. It is most often placed on the north side of the Altar, or in a separate chamber (itself referred to as the
Prothesis) on the north side of the central
apsethumb|250px|Triple apse of [[Basilica di Santa Giulia]], northern [[Italy]].In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
.
Originally, the Prothesis was located in the same room as the Holy Table, being simply a smaller table placed against the eastern wall to the north of the Holy Table.
The
Prothesis is the place in the
sanctuarySanctuary has multiple meanings. A sanctuary is the consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar. An animal sanctuary is a place where animals live and are protected...
in which the
Liturgy of PreparationThe Liturgy of Preparation, also Prothesis or Proskomedia , is the name given in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Byzantine-rite Eastern Catholic Churches to the act of preparing the bread and wine for the Eucharist...
takes place in the
Eastern OrthodoxThe Orthodox Church, also officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to in English speaking countries as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the world's second largest Christian communion, estimated to number 225 million members...
and Greek-Catholic Churches.
The Prothesis is located behind the
IconostasisIn Eastern Christianity an iconostasis , also called the templon, is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church...
and consists of a small table, also known as the
Table of Oblation, on which the bread and wine are prepared for the
Divine LiturgyThe Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. As such, it is used in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches. Armenian Christians, both of the Armenian Apostolic Church and of the Armenian Catholic Church, use the...
. It is most often placed on the north side of the Altar, or in a separate chamber (itself referred to as the
Prothesis) on the north side of the central
apsethumb|250px|Triple apse of [[Basilica di Santa Giulia]], northern [[Italy]].In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
.
Originally, the Prothesis was located in the same room as the Holy Table, being simply a smaller table placed against the eastern wall to the north of the Holy Table. During the reign of the Emperor
Justin IIFlavius Iustinus Augustus was Eastern Roman Emperor from 565 to 578. He was the nephew of Justinian I, and husband of Sophia, the niece of the late empress Theodora, and therefore member of the Justinian Dynasty...
(
565-Europe:* August 22—St. Columba reports seeing a monster in Loch Ness, Scotland.* Alboin succeeds his father Audoin as king of the Lombards.-Asia:* Hou Zhu succeeds Wu Cheng Di as ruler of the Chinese Northern Qi Dynasty...
-
574-Byzantine Empire:* Emperor Justin II retires, choosing Tiberius II Constantine as his heir.-Europe:* Áedán mac Gabráin becomes king of Dál Riata.* After the death of King Cleph, the Lombards are without a king for the next ten years....
), it came to occupy its own separate chamber to the north of the sanctuary, having a separate apse, and joined to the Altar by an arched opening. Another apsed chamber was added on the south side for the
DiaconiconThe Diaconicon is, in the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches, the name given to a chamber on the south side of the central apse of the church, where the vestments, books, etc, that are used in the Divine Services of the church are kept .The Diaconicon contains...
. So that from this time forward, large Orthodox churches were triapsidal (having three apses on the eastern side). Smaller churches sill have only one chamber containing the Altar, the Prothesis and the Diaconicon.
In the
Syriac ChurchesSyriac Christianity is an ancient near Eastern Christian group represented by denominations primarily in the Middle East and in Kerala, India. Particularly notable is the liturgical use of ancient Syriac, a dialect related to the Aramaic of Jesus.-History:...
, the ritual is different, as both Prothesis and Diaconicon are generally rectangular, and the former constitutes a chamber for the deposit of offerings by the faithful. Consequently, it is sometimes placed on the south side, if by doing so it is more accessible to the laity.
In the Coptic Church, the men will enter the Prothesis to receive holy Communion (the women receive in front of the
Holy DoorsThe Royal Doors, Holy Doors, or Beautiful Gates are the central doors of the Iconostasis in an Eastern Orthodox or Greek-Catholic Church....
), and must remove their shoes before entering.
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