Table of Contents - Saint Andrew's

Narthex - St. Andrew's Episcopal Church
University Heights, 3107 Main Street, Buffalo, NY

Narthex: Enclosed, sacred, single-story vestibule at the western end of the church.

Sometimes a covered porch to the main entrance, which was used only by women in the early churches.

An entry space, foyer, or anteroom of a church between the door and the nave. The term is from the Greek for a "small case." Historically, the narthex was an enclosed vestibule or porch of a basilica. Catechumens [Christian converts under instruction before baptism] and penitents stood in the narthex during the service. It also may serve as a place for the gathering and formation of processions and a place for people to wait before services begin. - An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church (online September 2019)