An antimension is a consecrated cloth that sits on the altar and contains a saint’s relic. Without it, a priest can’t celebrate the Divine Liturgy.
The word comes from Greek and means “instead of the table.” Think of it as a portable altar. In the early Church, Christians celebrated the Eucharist on the tombs of martyrs. When the faith spread and bishops couldn’t personally consecrate every altar in every village, they started sending out these cloths as a way to extend their blessing and authority. The antimension carries that same purpose today.
It’s usually made of linen or silk, about the size of a placemat. Most show an icon of Christ’s burial in the center, with the four Evangelists in the corners. Sometimes you’ll see Saints John Chrysostom and Basil the Great, whose liturgies we use. The bishop signs it, dates it, and sews a tiny relic of a martyr into the cloth or places one in its folds. That relic connects every Liturgy back to the ancient practice of celebrating on martyrs’ graves.
The antimension stays folded on the altar table most of the time. During the Liturgy, right before the Anaphora (the Eucharistic prayer), the priest unfolds it. The gifts of bread and wine are placed directly on it. After Liturgy, he folds it back up so the creases form a cross. It’s treated with the same reverence you’d give any sacred object that touches the Body and Blood of Christ.
Why It’s Required
You can’t just decide to serve Liturgy anywhere you want. The antimension is the bishop’s written permission, his way of saying, “Yes, you may celebrate the Eucharist here, in my diocese, under my authority.” It’s both practical and theological. Practically, it lets priests serve in mission churches, homes, prisons, or anywhere a full stone altar hasn’t been consecrated yet. Theologically, it keeps the Eucharist from becoming a private act disconnected from the Church.
Orthodox ecclesiology puts the bishop at the center of the diocese’s sacramental life. He’s the one who ordains priests, consecrates chrism, and oversees the Mysteries. When a priest serves Liturgy, he’s not acting independently. He’s acting as the bishop’s extension. The antimension makes that visible. No antimension means no authorization, which means no Liturgy.
This isn’t bureaucracy for its own sake. It protects the unity of the Church. Every time we celebrate the Eucharist, we’re not just remembering what Christ did. We’re participating in the one sacrifice, offered by the one Church, in communion with our bishop and every other Orthodox Christian. The antimension is a tangible sign of that communion. If a bishop removes or refuses to issue an antimension, he’s effectively saying that celebration isn’t in communion with the Church.
What It Means for Us
If you’ve been to Liturgy at St. Michael’s, you’ve seen Father unfold a cloth on the altar before the consecration. That’s the antimension. It was signed by our bishop. It contains a relic of a martyr whose name we probably don’t know but who died for the faith we now practice. Every Sunday, the Eucharist we receive is offered on that cloth, connecting us to the early Church, to the martyrs, to our bishop, and to the whole Orthodox Church across time and space.
For inquirers coming from Protestant backgrounds, this might seem strange. You’re used to churches where any ordained minister can serve communion pretty much anywhere. But we don’t see the Eucharist that way. It’s not something a priest does on his own authority. It’s the Church’s act, and the bishop represents the Church’s unity and apostolic succession. The antimension is how that works in practice.
If you’re visiting during a weekday Liturgy or a feast day, watch for the moment when the antimension is unfolded. It’s easy to miss, but it’s one of those small gestures that carries enormous weight. That piece of cloth, signed and blessed and containing the bones of a saint, is what makes the table an altar and the altar a place where heaven and earth meet.
