Editing Altar (section)

===In Western Christian churches===
[[File:Santa Cecilia.jpg|thumb|left|Altar of [[Santa Cecilia in Trastevere]] with [[ciborium (architecture)|ciborium]]]]
Most [[rubric]]s, even in books of the seventeenth century and later, such as the [[Pontifical|Pontificale Romanum]], continued to envisage the altar as free-standing. The rite of the Dedication of the Church<ref>{{cite web |url=http://members.aol.com/liturgialatina/pontificale/041.htm/ |title=De ecclesiae dedicatione seu consacratione |website=members.aol.com |series=Liturgia Latina}}</ref> continued to presume that the officiating bishop could circle the altar during the consecration of the church and its altar. Despite this, with the increase in the size and importance of the [[reredos]], most altars were built against the wall or barely separated from it.

In almost all cases, the eastward orientation for prayer was maintained, whether the altar was at the west end of the church, as in all the earliest churches in Rome, in which case the priest celebrating Mass faced the congregation and the church entrance, or whether it was at the east end of the church, in which case the priest faced the eastern apse and had his back to the congregation. This diversity was recognized in the rubrics of the [[Roman Missal]] from the 1604 typical edition of [[Pope Clement VIII]] to the 1962 edition of [[Pope John XXIII]]: "{{Lang|la|Si altare sit ad orientem, versus populum ...}}"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ecclesiacatholica.com/missale%20romanum/ritus%20servandus.htm/ |title=Ritus servandus Missae |at=V, 3 |series=Missale Romanum |website=ecclesiacatholica.com}}</ref>

When placed close to a wall or touching it, altars were often surmounted by a [[reredos]] or [[altarpiece]]. If free-standing, they could be placed, as also in Eastern Christianity, within a [[ciborium (architecture)|ciborium]] (sometimes called a [[baldachin]]).
[[File:unchurch.jpg|thumb|upright|Altar of [[Newman University Church]], Dublin, with an altar ledge occupying the only space between it and the wall]]
The rules regarding the present-day form of the Roman Rite liturgy declare a free-standing main altar to be "desirable wherever possible".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/current/revmissalisromanien.shtml |title=General Instruction of the Roman Missal |at=299 |website=usccb.org}}</ref> Similarly, in the Anglican Communion, the rubrics of the [[Book of Common Prayer]] assumed an altar fixed against the wall, until Prayer Book revision in the twentieth century removed language which assumed any particular form of altar.

As well as altars in the structural sense, it became customary in the West to have what in Latin were referred to as {{Lang|la|altaria portatilia}} (portable altars), more commonly referred to in English as [[altar stone]]s. When travelling, a priest could take one with him and place it on an ordinary table for saying Mass. They were also inserted into the centre of structural altars especially those made of wood. In that case, it was the altar stone that was considered liturgically to be the altar. The Pontificale Romanum contained a rite for blessing at the same time several of these altar stones.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://members.aol.com/liturgialatina/pontificale/047.htm |title=De altarium portatilium consecratione |website=members.aol.com |series=Liturgia Latina}}</ref> In the East the [[antimension]] served and continues to serve the same purpose.

The term ''movable altar'' or ''portable altar'' is now used of a full-scale structural altar, with or without an inserted altar stone, that can be moved.<ref name=GIRM>{{cite web |url=http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/current/revmissalisromanien.shtml |title=General Instruction of the Roman Missal |website=usccb.org}} ''See also'' [[General Instruction of the Roman Missal]].</ref>{{rp|style=ama|at=298}}

Movable altars include the free-standing wooden tables without altar stone, placed in the choir away from the east wall, favoured by churches in the [[Reformed tradition]]. Altars that not only can be moved but are repeatedly moved are found in [[low church]] traditions that do not focus worship on the Eucharist, celebrating it rarely. Both Catholics and Protestants celebrate the Eucharist at such altars outside of churches and chapels, as outdoors or in an auditorium.

====Catholic Church====
{{Main|Altar (Catholic Church)}}
[[File:Interiorvaticano8baldaquino.jpg|thumb|left|High altar of [[Saint Peter's Basilica]], Rome]]

The [[Eastern Catholic Churches]] each follow their own traditions, which in general correspond to those of similar [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] or [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox]] Churches. All Christian Churches see the altar on which the Eucharist is offered as the "table of the Lord" ({{Lang|grc-latn|trapeza Kyriou}}) mentioned by [[Saint Paul]].<ref>{{bibleverse|1|Corinthians|10:21|ESV}}</ref> The rules indicated here are those of the [[Latin Church]].

The Latin Church distinguishes between fixed altars (those attached to the floor) and movable altars (those that can be displaced), and states: "It is desirable that in every church there be a fixed altar, since this more clearly and permanently signifies Christ Jesus, the Living Stone.<ref>{{bibleverse|1|Peter|2:4|ESV}}; cf. {{bibleverse||Ephesians|2:10|ESV}}</ref> In other places set aside for sacred celebrations, the altar may be movable."<ref name=GIRM/>{{rp|style=ama|at=298}}
[[File:Michaelskirche Munich - St Michael's Church High Altar.jpg|thumb|High altar of [[St. Michael's Church, Munich]], dwarfed by a huge [[reredos]]]]
A fixed altar should in general be topped by a slab of natural stone, thus conforming to tradition and to the significance attributed to the altar, but in many places dignified, well-crafted solid wood is permitted; the supports or base of a fixed altar may be of any dignified solid material. A movable altar may be of any noble solid material suitable for liturgical use.<ref name=GIRM/>{{rp|style=ama|at=301}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P4K.HTM |title=canon 1236 |series=The Code of Canon Law |website=vatican.va}}</ref>

The liturgical norms state:
:It is fitting that the tradition of the Roman liturgy should be preserved of placing relics of martyrs or other saints beneath the altar. However, the following should be noted:
:(a) Relics intended for deposition should be large enough that they can be recognized as parts of human bodies. Hence excessively small relics of one or more saints must not be deposited.
:(b) The greatest care must be taken to determine whether relics intended for deposition are authentic. It is better for an altar to be dedicated without relics than to have relics of doubtful credibility placed beneath it.
:(c) A reliquary must not be placed on the altar, or in the table of the altar; it must be beneath the table of the altar, as the design of the altar may allow.{{refn|
{{cite book |title=Rite of Dedication of a Church and an Altar |at=Chapter&nbsp;II, 5}}<br/> {{cite report |at=canon&nbsp;1237, §2 |title=The Code of Canon Law}} and <ref name=GIRM/>{{rp|style=ama|at=302}}
}}

[[File:H.13.071 - Osieczna Klasztor.JPG|thumb|left|St. Valentine's Church the altar of Our Lady of Sorrows and Child in Osieczna, Poland]]
This last norm explicitly excludes the practice customary in recent centuries of inserting relics into a specially created cavity within the table of an altar or [[altar stone]]. Placing of relics even in the base of a movable altar is also excluded.<ref>{{cite book |title=Rite of Dedication of a Church and an Altar |at=Chapter&nbsp;VI, 4}}</ref>

"In building new churches, it is preferable for a single altar to be erected, one that in the gathering of the faithful will signify the one Christ and the one Eucharist of the Church. In already existing churches, however, when the old altar is so positioned that it makes the people's participation difficult but cannot be moved without damage to artistic value, another fixed altar, skillfully made and properly dedicated, should be erected and the sacred rites celebrated on it alone. In order that the attention of the faithful not be distracted from the new altar the old altar should not be decorated in any special way."<ref name=GIRM/>{{rp|style=ama|at=303}}
The altar, fixed or movable, should as a rule be separate from the wall so as to make it easy to walk around it and to celebrate Mass at it facing the people. It should be positioned so as to be the natural centre of attention of the whole congregation.<ref name=GIRM/>{{rp|style=ama|at=299}}

The altar should be covered by at least one white cloth, and nothing else should be placed upon the altar table other than what is required for the liturgical celebration. Candlesticks and a [[altar crucifix|crucifix]], when required, can be either on the altar or near it, and it is desirable that the crucifix remain even outside of liturgical celebrations.<ref name=GIRM/>{{rp|style=ama|at=304-308}}

====Protestant churches====
[[File:Jesuskirken Copenhagen quire.jpg|thumb|Altar at the Lutheran [[Jesus Church, Valby|Jesus Church]] in [[Valby]], [[Copenhagen]].]]

[[File:HKBP Dame Saitnihuta, Res. Dame Saitnihuta 06.jpg|thumb|An altar located in the middle of the pulpit, namely the [[Batak Christian Protestant Church]], one of the Lutheran churches in Indonesia located in [[Tarutung]], [[North Sumatra]].]]
A wide variety of altars exist in various Protestant denominations. Some Churches, such as the [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]], have altars very similar to Anglican or Catholic ones keeping with their more sacramental understanding of the [[Eucharist|Lord's Supper]]. Calvinist churches from Reformed, Baptist, Congregational, and Non-denominational backgrounds instead have a [[Communion Table]] adorned with a linen cloth, as well as an open [[Bible]] and a pair of candlesticks; it is not referred to as an altar because they do not see [[Eucharist|Holy Communion]] as sacrificial in any way.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DG8cm43l7jIC&pg=PA58 |first=Michael |last=Keene |title=Christian Churches |publisher=Nelson Thornes |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-7487-5288-1 |page=58}}</ref> Such a table may be temporary: Moved into place only when there is a Communion Service.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.trinitybaptist.org/assets/1056/wedding_policies1-09.pdf |website=Trinity Baptist Church |title=Wedding Policies |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111226035145/http://www.trinitybaptist.org/assets/1056/wedding_policies1-09.pdf |archive-date=2011-12-26 }}</ref> Some nondenominational churches have no altar or communion table, even if they retain the practice of the "[[altar call]]" that originated in the [[Methodist Church]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rIQO6nnUbhkC&dq=Cox+%22no+altar+of+any+kind%22&pg=PA274 |first=Harvey |last=Cox |title=Fire from Heaven |publisher=Da Capo Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-7867-3134-3 |page=274}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=60oHksliJYEC&pg=PA57 |first=Elaine J. |last=Lawless |title=God's Peculiar People |publisher=University of Kentucky |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-8131-9141-6 |page=57}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BVhLNYT732AC&pg=PA95 |first=Gary |last=Bouma |title=Australian Soul |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-139-45938-9 |page=95}}</ref>

[[File:Bavnehøj Kirke alter.jpg|thumb|left|Contemporary altar at the Lutheran {{ill|Bavnehøj Kirke|da|vertical-align=sup}}.]]
[[File:Bad Doberan, Münster, Blick in den Chor mit Hochaltarretabel und Sakramentsturm 10 edit.jpg|thumb|The [[Lutheran]] altar in Bad Doberan Minster]]
Some [[Methodist]] and other [[evangelicalism|evangelical]] churches practice what is referred to as an ''[[altar call]]'', whereby those who wish to make a new spiritual commitment to Jesus Christ are invited to come forward publicly.{{efn|
The "come forward" invitation is a method that's only about 180&nbsp;years old. It was invented by Methodist churches in the late 17th&nbsp;century and later picked up and popularized by Charles Finney in the mid-1800s — and the majority of evangelical churches use that form today.<ref name="Warren">{{cite book |last=Warren |first=Rick |title=Preaching for Life Change Seminar: International version |chapter=Communicating to change lives - teaching notes |page=81}}</ref>
}}
It is so named because the supplicants, at the end of the [[sermon]], kneel at the [[altar rails]], which are located around the altar within [[chancel]].{{efn|
Every Methodist church has an altar rail below the pulpit platform where penitent folk can kneel and pray if they desire to seek divine help.<ref name="Goodwin1977">{{cite book |last=Goodwin |first=Alonzo T. |title=Stories of Western Loggers |year=1977 |publisher=Loggers World |language=en |page=88}}</ref>
}}
Those that come forward will often recite a [[sinner's prayer]], which, in evangelical understanding, if truly heart-felt indicates that they are now "saved". They may also be offered religious literature, counselling or other assistance. Many times it is said that those who come forth are going to "[[salvation|be saved]]". This is a ritual in which the supplicant makes a prayer of penitence (asking for his sins to be forgiven) and faith (called in evangelical Christianity "accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour").

=====Lutheran churches=====
[[File:Turku Dom Hochaltar.jpg|thumb|left|Altar of [[Turku Cathedral]]]]
Altars in [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] churches are often similar to those in Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. Lutherans believe that the altar represents Christ and should only be used to consecrate and distribute the Eucharist.<ref name=ELCA>{{cite book |title=Altar Guild and Sacristy Handbook |first=S. Anita |last=Stauffer |publisher=[[Augsburg Fortress]] |department=Evangelical Lutheran Church in America}}</ref> Lutheran altars are commonly made out of granite, but other materials are also used. A crucifix is to be put above the altar.<ref name=ELCA/> Sometimes [[relic]]s are also placed around the altar.<ref>{{cite web |title=LCMS vs. Catholic churches |website=lcms.org |department=Lutheran Church Missouri Synod |url=http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=3934 |access-date=2010-01-18 |url-status=dead <!-- presumed --> |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031227005224/http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=3934 |archive-date=2003-12-27}}</ref>

=====Anglican churches=====
[[File:altar.stmaryredcliffe.arp.jpg|thumb|The altar in St.&nbsp;Mary Anglican Church, Redcliffe, [[Bristol]]. It is decorated with a [[Altar frontal|frontal]] in green, a colour typically associated with the seasons after [[Epiphany (Christian)|Epiphany]] and [[Pentecost]]. Note the [[reredos]] behind the free-standing altar.]]

Altars in the Anglican Communion vary widely. In the [[Book of Common Prayer]], the basis of doctrine and practice for the [[Church of England]], there is no use of the specific word ''altar''; the item in question is called the [[Communion table|''Lord's Table'']] or ''Holy Table''. This remains the official terminology, though common usage may call the communion table an altar.

At the time of the Reformation, altars were fixed against the east end of the church, and the priests would celebrate the Mass standing at the front of the altar. Beginning with the [[rubric]]s of the [[Book of Common Prayer (1552)|Second Prayer Book]] of [[Edward VI]] published in 1552, and through the [[Book of Common Prayer (1662)|1662 ''Book of Common Prayer'']] (which prevailed for almost 300&nbsp;years and is still in occasional use), the priest is directed to stand "at the north syde of the Table". This was variously interpreted over the years to mean the north side of the front of a fixed communion table, the north end of a fixed table (i.e., facing south), the north side of a free-standing table (presumably facing those intending to receive the Elements who would be sitting in the quire stalls opposite), or at the north end of a free-standing table lengthwise in the chancel, facing a congregation seated in the [[nave]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}

Often, where a celebrant chose to situate himself was meant to convey his churchmanship (that is, more Reformed or more Catholic). The use of candles or [[church tabernacle|tabernacles]] was banned by [[canon law]], with the only appointed adornment being a white linen cloth.
[[File:St Paul's Cathedral High Altar, London, UK - Diliff.jpg|thumb|left|High altar of St Paul's Cathedral, London]]
Beginning with the [[Oxford Movement]] in the 19th century, the appearance of Anglican altars took a dramatic turn in many churches. Candles and, in some cases, tabernacles were re‑introduced. In some churches two candles, on each end of the altar, were used; in other cases six—three on either side of a tabernacle, typically surmounted by a [[crucifix]] or some other image of Christ. When a stone altar was placed in the [[Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Cambridge]] after rebuilding works in 1841, a case was brought in the [[Court of Arches]] which resulted in an order to remove it and replace it with a wooden communion table.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |year=1930 |title=Altar |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopaedia Britannica]] |edition=14|volume=1|page=708 |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Canterbury Cathedral altar 8.jpg|thumb|The "low" altar area at Canterbury Cathedral{{efn|The "high" altar is out of sight in the background, beneath the window. When the low altar is in use, the high altar in the back is not used, and stands "undressed".}}]]
In Anglican practice, conformity to a given standard depends on the [[ecclesiastical province]] and/or the liturgical sensibilities of a given parish. In the ''Parson's Handbook'', an influential manual for priests popular in the early-to-mid-twentieth century, [[Percy Dearmer]] recommends that "All altars should be 3&nbsp;ft. 3&nbsp;in. high, and ''at least'' deep enough to take a corporal [the square of linen placed underneath the Communion vessels] 20&nbsp;in. square, with an inch or two to spare." He also recommends that the altar stand upon three steps for each of the three sacred ministers, and that it be decorated with a silk frontal in the [[liturgical colours|seasonal colour]]. In some cases, other manuals suggest that a stone be set in the top of wooden altars, in the belief that the custom be maintained of consecrating the bread and wine on a stone surface. In many other Anglican parishes, the custom is considerably less rigorous, especially in those parishes which use free-standing altars. Typically, these altars are made of wood, and may or may not have a solid front, which may or may not be ornamented. In many Anglican parishes, the use of frontals has persisted.

When altars are placed away from the wall of the chancel allowing a westward orientation, only two candles are placed on either end of it, since six would obscure the liturgical action, undermining the intent of a westward orientation (i.e., that it be visible to the congregation). In such an arrangement, a tabernacle may stand to one side of or behind the altar, or an [[aumbry]] may be used.

Sensibilities concerning the sanctity of the altar are widespread in Anglicanism. In some parishes, the notion that the surface of the altar should only be touched by those in [[holy orders]] is maintained. In others, there is considerably less strictness about the communion table. Nonetheless, the continued popularity of communion rails in Anglican church construction suggests that a sense of the sanctity of the altar and its surrounding area persists. In most cases, moreover, the practice of allowing only those items that have been blessed to be placed on the altar is maintained (that is, the linen cloth, candles, [[missal]], and the Eucharistic vessels).

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px" perrow="5" caption="Anglican churches">
File:All Saints Bristol 07b altar ciborium.jpg|The altar with [[ciborium (architecture)|ciborium]] at [[Church of All Saints, Clifton|All Saints Anglican church]], [[Bristol, England]]
File:St Barnabas, Calton Avenue, Dulwich, London SE21 - Altar - geograph.org.uk - 1750566.jpg|The Lord's Table in St Barnabas' Church, Dulwich ([[Diocese of Southwark]])
File:StThomas'Bunyip.jpg|Altar in Bunyip, Victoria, Australia 
File:Cathedral Altar.JPG|Altar at [[Grace Cathedral, San Francisco|Grace Cathedral]], [[San Francisco]]
File:High Altar, Church of the Good Shepherd (Rosemont, Pennsylvania).jpg|Altar at Anglo-Catholic [[Church of the Good Shepherd (Rosemont, Pennsylvania)]]
</gallery>