Which room in a church is used by clergy to change into their ceremonial clothes for church services?
And the answer: vestry.
Also known as a sacristry, a vestry is a room or building attached to a church, in which ceremonial clothing and objects are kept. The word is also sometimes used to describe a committee of church members.
Houses of worship tend to include many rooms outside of the holy sanctuary, or the gathering place for worship. Pop quiz! Without doing any Googling, how many rooms in a house of worship can you name?
If you can name more than five, well done! There are at least 20 names for separate rooms within churches and cathedrals – of course, with variation for the specific religion that is practiced in the space. To test your knowledge, check out the list below to learn more about some of the most common rooms in churches:
- Chancel: the part of a church where the clergy and choir sit during a religious ceremony. The sanctuary space is often oriented in the direction of the chancel. Conversely...
- Nave: the area which church-goers sit during congregation or mass. This is a long, central area of the church.
- Pulpit: the area from which a member of the clergy will deliver a sermon.
- Transept: the structure that gives a church its cross-like shape. Two transepts are built across the main structure to form a cross in the shape of the church.
- Crypt (or vault): the underground region of the church building, usually containing tombs.
See these rooms for yourself by checking out the video below.
