Architectural Elements of Churches, Choir

Arnold, D. "Holxban" In Lexikon der Ägyptologie, Vol. 2, pp. 1269-70. Wiesbaden, 1977. Balcz, H. "Die altägyptische Wandgliederung." Mitteilungen des deutschen archäologischen Instituts—Abteilung Kairo 1 (1930):73ff. Boak, A. E. R., and E. E. Peterson. Karanis. Seasons 1924-28, pp. 26f. Ann Arbor, Mich., 1931. Deichmann, F. W. "Kassettendecken." Jahrbuch der österreichischen Byzantinistik 21 (1972):83-107. Haeny, G. Lexicon der Ägyptologie, Vol. 1, p. 999. Wiesbaden, 1975. Lucas, A. Ancient Egyptian Materials and Industries, pp. 429ff. London, 1964. Nowicka, M. La Maison privée dans l'Egypte ptolémaique, pp. 27f. Warsaw, 1969. Schütz, A. R. Der Typus des hellenistisch-ägyptischen Hauses, pp. 58ff. Würzburg, 1936. PETER GROSSMANN Choir The choir, or forechoir, is the small area, usually rectangular, between the apse and the naos (see below), or area for the laity. It is the place where the clergy or choir sings the divine service; hence its name. The choir is common in Western church architecture, where it is roughly equivalent to the presbytery or chancel, the area shut off from the naos by cancelli. In middle and late Byzantine churches, which usually have a very small apse, the choir is often provided with side conchas. The side walls may also contain passages to the pastophoria (two rooms flanking the choir). In other Eastern churches the choir is very rare. Among early Christian churches of Syria and Asia Minor it is found only in the basilica of Qalbluzy and in some centrally planned buildings such as those in Apamea and Amida (Diyarbakr). In Egypt the oldest examples derive from the eighth century—the subsidiary church of the Church of Saint Menas in Cairo, dedicated to Mar Bahnam (Grossmann, 1982, pp. 13ff.), and a building from Hilwan (Grossmann, p. 83, ill. 28). An example from Nubia is the basilica in TAMIT (Grossmann, pp. 16ff.). BIBLIOGRAPHY Butler, H. C. Early Churches in Syria, 2nd ed. pp. 187ff. Amsterdam, 1969. Grossmann, P. Mittelalterliche Langhauskuppelkirchen und verwandte Typen in Oberägypten. Glückstadt, 1982. PETER GROSSMANN Ciborium A ciborium is a freestanding, columned structure, surmounted by a cupola or, less commonly, a pyramid, that protects and architecturally emphasizes an altar, tomb, or throne. It may be put up in the open or inside a building. The terms "ciborium" and "baldachin" are often used synonymously in English, but a baldachin was originally a fabric canopy hung over an altar or door and only later became an architectural term. Similarly tabernacle originally meant a tent covering the Hebrew ark of the covenant but later came to mean a small cubical structure housing the host in Roman Catholic churches. Since the New Kingdom, the throne of Egyptian rulers stood under a ciborium, as can be seen from many pictorial representations (Erman and Ranke, 1923, 1981, p. 67). Similarly, the imperial throne of Rome was covered by a ciborium. Also many pagan