A choir , also sometimes called quire , is the area of a church or cathedral that provides seating for the clergy and church choir . It is in the western part of the chancel , between the nave and the sanctuary , which houses the altar and Church tabernacle . In larger medieval churches it contained choir-stalls , seating aligned with the side of the church, so at right-angles to the seating for the congregation in the nave. Smaller medieval churches may not have a choir in the architectural sense at all, and they are often lacking in churches built by all denominations after the Protestant Reformation , though the Gothic Revival revived them as a distinct feature.
20-518: Armstrong Hall (1853-1921) was Archdeacon of Richmond from 1908 until his death. Armstrong was born at Parkhurst, Isle of Wight and educated at Christ's Hospital and King's College London . After a curacy at Lee in South-east London he held incumbencies in the Isle of Man , Bristol , Swindon , Isleworth , Perth, NB and Methley . During World War I he was a Chaplain to
40-483: A church. By pushing the altar back to its medieval position and having the choir used by a lay choir, they were largely successful in this, although the harder end of the High Church objected to allowing a large group of laity into the chancel. Different approaches to worship in the 20th century again tended to push altars in larger churches forward, to be closer to the congregation, and the chancel again risks being
60-709: A commissary elected by the Bishop of Chester , the Archdeacon continued to exercise the same authority, judicial and otherwise, as his predecessors and retained his stall within the choir of York Minster . However by 1805 the position was described as a mere " sinecure ". In 1836 the Archdeaconry of Richmond was transferred to the jurisdiction of the newly formed See of Ripon in Yorkshire, and in January 1838
80-414: A less used area of the church. The choir area is occupied by sometimes finely carved and decorated wooden seats known as choir stalls , where the clergy sit, stand or kneel during services. The choir may be furnished either with long benches ( pews ) or individual choir stalls. There may be several rows of seating running parallel to the walls of the church. The use of choir stalls (as opposed to benches)
100-558: A loft elsewhere in the church. Some cathedrals have a retro-choir behind the high altar, opening eastward towards the chapels ( chantries ) in the eastern extremity. After the Reformation Protestant churches generally moved the altar (now often called the communion table ) forward, typically to the front of the chancel, and often used lay choirs who were placed in a gallery at the west end. The choir and rear of deep chancels became little used in churches surviving from
120-547: Is a space behind the high altar in the choir of a church, in which there may be a small altar standing back to back with the other. In the Early Church , the sanctuary was connected directly to the nave. The choir was simply the east part of the nave, and was fenced off by a screen or low railing, called cancelli , which is where the English word chancel comes from. The development of the architectural feature known as
140-530: Is arranged in the apse behind the altar . The architectural details of the choir developed in response to its function as the place where the Divine Office was chanted by the monastic brotherhood or the chapter of canons . The chancel was regarded as the clergy's part of the church, and any choirboys from a choir school counted as part of the clergy for this purpose. After the Reformation, when
160-497: Is more traditional in monasteries and collegiate churches . Monastic choir stalls are often fitted with seats that fold up when the monastics stand and fold down when they sit. Often the hinged seat will have a misericord (small wooden seat) on the underside on which he can lean while standing during the long services. The upper part of the monk's stall is so shaped as to provide a headrest while sitting, and arm rests when standing. Monasteries will often have strict rules as to when
180-620: The Forces and Deputy Assistant Chaplain General (Northern Command). Later he was an Honorary Chaplain to the King . This biography of a United Kingdom religious figure is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Archdeacon of Richmond and Craven The Archdeacon of Richmond and Craven is an archdiaconal post in the Church of England . It was created in about 1088 within
200-609: The See of York and was moved in 1541 to the See of Chester , in 1836 to the See of Ripon and after 2014 to the See of Leeds , in which jurisdiction it remains today. It is divided into seven rural deaneries: Ewecross , Harrogate , Richmond , Ripon , Skipton , and Wensley , all in Yorkshire and Bowland in Lancashire . The Archdeaconry of Richmond was created in about 1088 and
220-483: The Archdeaconry in order to form the new See of Carlisle . By way of compensation for this loss, Thurstan , Archbishop of York , conferred upon the Archdeacon all the privileges and prerogatives of a bishop, with the exception that he could not ordain, consecrate, or confirm. The Archdeacon had his own consistory court at Richmond in Yorkshire, where wills were proved , licences and faculties granted, and all matters of ecclesiastical cognizance dealt with. He exercised
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#1732786554960240-615: The Middle Ages, and new churches very often omitted one. With the emphasis on sermons, and their audibility, some churches simply converted their chancels to seat part of the congregation. In 19th-century England one of the battles of the Cambridge Camden Society , the architectural wing of the Anglo-Catholics in the Church of England , was to restore the chancel, including the choir, as a necessary part of
260-436: The actual location of any singing choir – these may be located in various places, and often sing from a choir-loft, often over the door at the liturgical western end. In modern churches, the choir may be located centrally behind the altar, or the pulpit. The place where the singers are based is sometimes called the ritual choir , as opposed to the architectural choir or constructional choir . The back-choir or retroquire
280-512: The choir is the result of the liturgical development brought about by the end of persecutions under Constantine the Great and the rise of monasticism . The word "choir" is first used by members of the Latin Church . Isidore of Seville and Honorius of Autun write that the term is derived from the "corona", the circle of clergy or singers who surrounded the altar. When first introduced,
300-513: The choir was attached to the bema , the elevated platform in the centre of the nave on which were placed seats for the clergy and a lectern for scripture readings. This arrangement can still be observed at the San Clemente al Laterano in Rome. Over time, the bema (or presbytery ) and choir moved eastward to their current position. In some churches, such as Westminster Cathedral , the choir
320-465: The consistory court of Richmond was abolished, along with all its other peculiars . On the creation of the See of Leeds in 2014, the Archdeaconry received the territory of the Archdeaconry of Craven and was renamed the "Archdeaconry of Richmond and Craven". It now forms the " Ripon episcopal area ". Choir (architecture) As an architectural term "choir" remains distinct from
340-432: The monastics may sit and when they must stand during the services. Choir benches are more common in parish churches . Each bench may have padded kneelers attached to the back of it so that the person behind may kneel at the appropriate times during services. The front row will often have a long prie-dieu running in front of it for the choir members to place their books on, and which may also be fitted with kneelers. In
360-449: The number of clergy present even in large churches and cathedrals tended to reduce, and lay singing choirs became more frequent, there were often objections to placing them in the traditional choir stalls in the chancel. The pulpit and lectern are also usually found at the front of the choir, though both Catholic and Protestant churches have sometimes moved the pulpit to the nave for better audibility. The organ may be located here, or in
380-467: The sole supervision of clergy within his jurisdiction, including institution to, and removal from, benefices. In 1541 King Henry VIII established the See of Chester in Lancashire, into which the office of Archdeacon of Richmond was incorporated, although its judicial powers were transferred to the See of York . Although its revenues suffered serious diminution and its position had become that of
400-626: Was endowed by Thomas, Archbishop of York . Originally it comprised the western parts of Yorkshire ( Richmondshire and Boroughbridge ) and Lancashire ( Amounderness Hundred , Lonsdale Hundred and Furness ), as well as the greater portion of the counties of Cumberland ( Borough of Copeland ) and Westmorland ( Barony of Kendal ), and was the wealthiest and most extensive archdeaconry in England. Its valuable impropriations included Easingwold , Bolton , Clapham and Thornton Steward . However in 1127 King Henry I removed Allerdale and Cumberland from
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