noun
definition
A wall of icons between the sanctuary and the nave in a church of eastern Christendom.
Examples of iconostasis in a Sentence
In the Russian Orthodox Church the term "ambo" is used of the semicircular steps leading to the platform in front of the iconostasis, but in cathedrals the bishop has an ambo in the centre of the church.
In the Uniate Greek Catholic Church the "ambo" has become a table, on which are placed a crucifix and lights, before the doors of the iconostasis; here baptisms, marriages and confirmations take place.
In the East the cancelli, under the influence possibly of the ritual of the Jewish temple, developed into the iconostasis, the screen of holy pictures, behind the closed doors of which the supreme act of the eucharistic mystery is hidden from the lay people.
The iconostasis or imagebearer has generally three doors, one on each side of the central door, beyond which is the principal altar.
It dates from 1600 and has a splendid carved iconostasis.