An Orthodox church building is divided into three main areas: the narthex (entrance), the nave (where the congregation stands), and the sanctuary (where the priest celebrates the Eucharist). These aren’t arbitrary divisions. They reflect the way we move deeper into the mystery of God’s presence.
Walking Through the Building
When you first enter an Orthodox church, you’re in the narthex. It’s the vestibule or entry area, sometimes just a small room, sometimes more of a hallway. Historically this is where catechumens stood during the Liturgy before they were baptized. It’s also where penitents who couldn’t receive communion would wait. Today it’s where we light candles, venerate icons, and make the transition from the parking lot to worship. You’re crossing a threshold. The narthex reminds us we’re leaving one thing and entering another.
Step through the inner doors and you’re in the nave. This is where the congregation stands during services. (Yes, stands. We’ll save the conversation about pews for another time.) The word “nave” comes from the Latin for ship, and that’s exactly what it is, the ark of salvation, carrying us toward the Kingdom. When you stand in the nave during the Divine Liturgy, you’re surrounded by icons on the walls. Christ looks down from the dome. The Theotokos is in the apse behind the altar. You’re literally standing inside the story of salvation, surrounded by the saints who’ve gone before us.
The nave faces east. Always east, toward the rising sun, toward Christ who is the Light of the World and who will come again from the east. This isn’t just symbolism for symbolism’s sake. It shapes how we pray.
The Iconostasis
At the front of the nave stands the iconostasis, the icon screen. If you’re coming from a Protestant background, this might be the most unfamiliar thing you see. It’s a wall of icons separating the nave from the sanctuary. Some are simple, with just a few icons and open space. Others rise in tiers with dozens of saints looking out at you.
The iconostasis isn’t there to block your view. It’s there to show you something. Those icons are windows into heaven. They make visible the reality that when we celebrate the Liturgy, we’re joining the worship that’s already happening in God’s presence. The saints aren’t dead. They’re more alive than we are, and they’re right there with us.
The iconostasis has three sets of doors. In the center are the Royal Doors (sometimes called the Holy Doors or Beautiful Gates). These open only at specific moments during the service. The priest carries the Gospel Book through them. During the Great Entrance, the gifts of bread and wine pass through on their way to become the Body and Blood of Christ. These doors represent Christ himself, the way into the presence of God.
On either side of the Royal Doors are smaller doors, the deacon’s doors (or north and south doors). Servers use these to enter and exit the sanctuary. You’ll often see icons of archangels on these doors, Michael and Gabriel, the messengers who stand before God’s throne.
The Sanctuary
Behind the iconostasis is the sanctuary. This is the holy of holies, the place where the Eucharist is celebrated. Only ordained clergy and certain servers enter here. At the center stands the holy table (what you might call the altar), covered with cloths and holding the Gospel Book, the tabernacle for reserved communion, and a cross. This is where heaven and earth meet. This is where bread and wine become Christ’s Body and Blood.
To the left of the holy table is a smaller table called the prothesis (or table of oblation). Before the Liturgy begins, the priest prepares the bread and wine here, cutting the bread into specific pieces and arranging them on the paten. This happens while the congregation gathers, mostly out of sight. It’s the beginning of the Eucharistic sacrifice.
The sanctuary isn’t off-limits because it’s too holy for regular people. It’s set apart because what happens there is so central to our faith that it requires reverence, order, and preparation. The whole building moves toward this space. Everything points here.
Why It Matters
You might walk into St. Michael’s and think the layout is just tradition, just the way Orthodox churches have always looked. But there’s theology built into these walls. The three-part division echoes the Old Testament temple: outer court, holy place, holy of holies. It echoes the book of Revelation, where St. John sees the heavenly liturgy. It teaches us that approaching God isn’t casual. It’s a procession, a movement from outside to inside, from preparation to participation to the very heart of the mystery.
Metropolitan Kallistos Ware writes that an Orthodox church is meant to be “heaven on earth.” When you stand in the nave, you’re not just in a building. You’re standing in the Kingdom, surrounded by the whole Church, the saints in the icons, the angels in the dome, your neighbors beside you, and Christ himself present in the sanctuary. The building itself is catechesis. It teaches you the faith just by being what it is.
Next time you come to Liturgy, arrive a few minutes early. Stand in the narthex for a moment. Light a candle. Then walk into the nave and just look around. Let the building tell you what it knows.
