Where Can One Go Inside an Orthodox Church?
"I have been
told that there are certain no-go areas in Orthodox churches and certain things
that people are not allowed to touch. Is this the case?—it seems rather odd to
us—and what does it signify? We were also told that it does not apply in
churches which have not been consecrated/ blessed. A practical point, where is
it we cannot go, and what can we not touch?" —E.S., Nottingham.
Essentially what you have been told is correct, although it seems the
whole matter has been presented in a rather negative way. Can we start by
looking at the thing from the other end? Orthodox Christians consider their
churches to be holy places. As it happens, I have just been trying to translate
the latest section from "The Whole Armour of Truth" for the next
issue of "The Wolf" [actually printed in this issue above—ed.], and in it St Nicolas Varzhansky
explains that the word "holy" means "set apart." In the
case of our churches they are set apart for God. The regulations about not
entering certain areas, or touching certain objects, are then not so much bans
or prohibitions but rather safeguards of that holiness, that "set
apartedness."
In our modern society, we tend always to see things subjectively and
self-centredly; we are trained from childhood to do this. We therefore think of
our rights, and when we meet something like the Orthodox practice in this
instance, we find the matter odd, because our first thought is that our rights
have been eroded. This is why I suggested that we look at the thing from the
other end. In churches that have been set apart for God, we have no
"rights," everything that is allowed us is a mercy from God, even to
enter there in the first place. This is why on entering church, even the
narthex, Orthodox Christians make three deep reverences, remembering their
unworthiness to enter therein, that they are entering upon holy ground.
Thus, when we speak of these traditions as prohibitions, we are simply
using a kind of short-hand—essentially, rather than speaking of prohibitions,
we would better say that we have no blessing to enter there or to touch that.
You say that you were told this was not so in unconsecrated churches,
and this is quite untrue. In fact, here in the Orthodox diaspora in the West,
perhaps the majority of the churches are not consecrated. The faithful still
treat them with reverence, because the Divine services are chanted there and
because the Holy Eucharist and the other Mysteries of the Church are celebrated
there; the holy icons are venerated there. Naturally, in a church which has
been consecrated, one would be even more attentive to reverence, but I have not
heard of the fact of a church's not being blessed being any excuse not to show
the customary reverence. Such an idea borders on impiety, and it will also
train us in impiety (see St. Luke 16: 10).
I remember that back in 1967, the day before St Seraphim's chapel was
going to be blessed in the old station at Walsingham, we were putting some
final touches to the icon screen, and thinking that the church was not yet
blessed and it would be alright, I went through the Royal Doors. I was given to
understand,—and though he did not speak English in no uncertain terms,—by
Archbishop Nikodem that this was not to be done, and to this day I have not
forgotten his reaction! I was certainly not given the impression that this was
"alright" because the church had not yet been blessed.
I cannot hope to give you a complete catalogue of the
"prohibitions," but will list some, and hopefully in time, as you
grow in Orthodoxy, you will be instructed in the others. It seems from the very
fact that the matter has arisen this area of instruction is not being
completely neglected.
Properly, although this ruling is not often strictly kept today, the
catechumens do not go further than the narthex, because the nave itself is
symbolic of the Church on earth and the catechumens are not yet members of the
Church. In most churches, for pastoral and missionary reasons, they are allowed
into the nave, and we follow this practice here at Brookwood, expelling them to
the narthex only at the expulsion of the catechumens in the Liturgy.
The laity stand in the nave, and do not enter the sanctuary. Oftentimes
one hears that only men are permitted to enter the sanctuary—this is again
another "short-hand version," which only approximates to the truth.
More properly only those whose ministry requires them to enter the sanctuary,
or those who have received a blessing to enter there, are permitted to enter.
In general, but not exclusively, this means that women do not enter there.
Even in the nave area, the faithful should be careful not to stand on
the Ambon, the raised area immediately in front of the Royal Doors. This is
because this area represents the Judgment Seat and we only stand there to
receive the Holy Mysteries, remembering both that in doing so we participate in
the royal priesthood of all believers, and that we shall have to give an
account for our reception of the Mysteries at the Judgment. Thus if one needs
to walk across, say in lighting the lamps before the iconostas icons, one comes
down from the Soleas (the raised area on either side), rather than walking
across the Ambon. Also, the faithful should not walk across the church in front
of the principal celebrant if the sacred rite requires that he be standing in
the nave—always walk round behind him.
Those who are blessed to enter the sanctuary should make three deep
reverences when doing so (prostrations if they are appointed on that day).
Except for the bishop, all enter through the deacon's (side) doors, unless they
are required to enter through the Royal Doors during the sacred rites and when
vested. Even then only the priests and deacons (and in some practices the
subdeacons too) are permitted to enter through the central doors. In crossing
from one side to the other in the sanctuary, we always go behind (to the east)
of the Holy Table itself, unless again the rites themselves demand that one of
the ministers walk across in front of the Table, such as during a censing of
the Holy Table. Again only those who are at least subdeacons would be permitted
to do this, and even they do not walk across that area or stand there unless it
is required by the liturgy.
Only subdeacons are permitted to touch the Holy Table or the sacred
vessels (excepting only the occasion when, in the Russian practice, the
faithful kiss the foot of the chalice immediately after receiving Holy
Communion). This applies at all times, both within the Divine Services and at
all other times. Only the deacons and priests touch or carry the Antimension or
the Holy Gifts themselves. No one, who is not at least a subdeacon, is thus
permitted to take anything from, or place anything on, the Holy Table, and the
sacred artifacts kept there are only touched by the faithful when they are
offered for their veneration by the priest, for instance the Gospel Book during
Mattins of the Resurrection on Sundays, and the Cross at the end of the Liturgy.
This fact should draw our attention to the importance of these blessings, and
we should always venerate the Gospel and Cross on these occasions with
reverence.
On occasion, either because of the changing festivals or because of the
necessity of keeping them clean, the altar hangings have to be changed. On
these occasions, it is for the subdeacons or higher clergy to divest the altar
and re-vest it with the hangings.
Lastly, you should bear three things in mind. First, this is by no means
an exhaustive list. Secondly, although I have tried to give you indications
about the general practice of the Church, there may be local variations in
practice. And thirdly and most importantly, remember that everything in our
Church is done with a blessing, and so on occasion it may be that your pastor
gives you a particular blessing to do something which might not otherwise be
generally allowed. In this regard too, remember that even those things which
are customary in church are never begun without a blessing. For instance,
deacons, subdeacons, readers and servers wear vestments, but they never put
these on or take them off (even though it is customary and needful for them to
wear them) without first obtaining the priest's blessing. The priest himself,
before vesting turns to the High Place and makes three reverences before he
puts on his own vestments. If such care is taken in those things which are
customary at every service, this should give us to understand that any
departures from normal practice are extraordinary and should never be taken for
granted. In every situation it is spiritually wise to ask a blessing. In fact
this brings us back to one of the first points in this rather rambling letter:
that we should regard the seeming prohibitions not as such but as our not
having a blessing. And this is the
essence of the matter.
Source: http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/holyspace.aspx
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