iconostasis
noun/ˌaɪkəˈnɒstəsɪs/
Etymology Borrowed from Byzantine Greek εἰκονόστασις (eikonóstasis), from εἰκών (eikṓn, “icon”) + στάσις (stásis, “fixture”).
1
A wall of icons between the sanctuary and the nave in an Eastern Orthodox church.
Eastern Orthodoxy
- The golden glitter on the crimson background of the iconostasis, the gilt ornaments of the icons, the silver of the chandeliers and candlesticks, the flagstones of the floor, the mats, the banners above the choir, the steps of the ambo, the ancient books black with age, the cassocks and surplices, were all inundated with light.1918 [1878], chapter 3, in Aylmer and Louise Maude, transl., Anna Karenina, Cambridge: Oxford University Press, translation of Анна Каренина (Anna Karenina) by Leo Tolstoy, →OCLC, part 5, page 12:
- The altar was hidden behind an Iconostasis. The church was looked after by an old sacristan who lived in a cottage on the shore of the lake.1932, Maurice Baring, chapter 10, in Friday's Business:
- Related terms
- templon