Altar facts for kids

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The High Altar at the Basilica of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Dyersville, Iowa.

An altar is a place, often a table, where a religious event happens. Altars are used in Christianity and in other religions.

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Images for kids

Altar in Roskilde Cathedral beneath by a carved reredos
Dedication of an altar
A home altar in a Methodist Christian household, with a cross and candles surrounded by other religious items
Early Coptic altar carved into the wall of the Temple of Isis on the island Philae in Egypt.
Altar of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere with ciborium
Altar of Newman University Church, Dublin, with an altar ledge occupying the only space between it and the wall
High altar of Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome
High altar of St. Michael's Church, Munich dwarfed by a huge reredos
St. Valentine's Church the altar of Our Lady of Sorrows and Child in Osieczna, Poland
Altar at the Lutheran Jesus Church in Valby, Copenhagen.
Contemporary altar at the Lutheran Bavnehøj Kirke^[da].
The Lutheran altar in Bad Doberan Minster
The altar in St. Mary Anglican Church, Redcliffe, Bristol. It is decorated with a frontal in green, a colour typically associated with the seasons after Epiphany and Pentecost. Note the reredos behind the free-standing altar.
High Altar of St Paul's Cathedral, London
The "low" altar area at Canterbury Cathedral
A traditional Russian Orthodox Holy Table (Altar), Church of the Saviour on the Blood, St. Petersburg
The Holy Place (Sanctuary) in the church of the Saint Vladimir Skete at Valaam Monastery. To the left is the Holy Table (altar) with the Gospel Book, the Tabernacle, and the seven-branch candlestand. The Table of Oblation is in the background to the left. To the right is the Cathedra (Bishop's Throne).
A contemporary Byzantine Catholic altar during the Divine Liturgy at St. Joseph Church in Chicago, Illinois.
Altar at the Etchmiadzin Cathedral.
Murugan temple in Roermond, Netherlands.
Shree Ganesh Mandir, Jhansi
A family altar in India.
Detail of c. 1700 painting of a Taoist altar during a ritual for the dead, illustrating a scene from The Plum in the Golden Vase. Note the Three Purities plaques at the back of the altar, and the ritual implements, including incense burner and ritual sword on the right. Bowls hold food offerings for the deceased woman.
An Ikuantaoist altar.
A bàn thờ (worship table) is an altar used in ancestral worship and worship of Buddhas and gods in Vietnam
A butsudan at ShinDo Buddhist Temple
A Shinto Kamidana (household altar) in Japan. Note the shimenawa, a rope demarking the sanctuary area seen above, along the ceiling.
Horned altar at Tel Be'er Sheva, Israel.
Ancient Greek kylix showing a hoplite offering a sacrifice before an altar, around 480 BC. Ancient Agora Museum of Athens in the Stoa of Attalus
The ancient Altar of Pergamon, reconstructed at the Pergamon museum, Berlin.
The Opferstein or Sacrifice Rock at Maria Taferl, Austria. It was used by the ancient Celts to make sacrifices upon and is now located in the plaza of the basilica there.
The altar with ciborium at All Saints Anglican church, Bristol, England
The Lord's Table in St Barnabas' Church, Dulwich (Diocese of Southwark)
Altar in Bunyip, Victoria, Australia
Altar at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco
Altar at Anglo-Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd (Rosemont, Pennsylvania)

See also

In Spanish: Altar para niños

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Altar Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.