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Canon 1236 §1. According to the traditional practice of the Church, the table of a fixed altar is to be of stone, and indeed of a single natural stone. Nevertheless, another worthy and solid material can also be used in the judgment of the conference of bishops. The supports or base, however, can be
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were of wood and shaped like ordinary house tables, a practice that continued until the Middle Ages. However, a preference for more durable materials led to church enactments in the West against wooden altars, but not in the East. The earliest stone altars were the tombs of martyrs, over which Mass
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These were usually blocks of marble, often about 6 inches by 9 inches and an inch thick, consecrated as described above. A priest with a field kit could simply place this stone on any available surface (a tailgate, or a stump or log) to celebrate Mass, or it could be inserted in a flat frame built
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The tabletop of the altar, the "mensa", had to be of a single piece of natural stone (almost always marble). Its supports had to be attached to the mensa. If contact was later broken even only momentarily (for instance, if the top was lifted off for some reason), the altar lost its consecration.
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built his altar of twelve stones: "He took twelve stones, for the number of tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the LORD had said, 'Your name shall be Israel.' He built an altar in honor of the LORD with the stones, and made a trench around the altar large enough for two seahs of grain"
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into the surface of a wooden altar. Many Roman
Catholic schools had a full-sized, decoratively carved wooden altar (which, being wood, could not be consecrated) in their gym or auditorium that could be taken out and prepared for Mass, with an altar stone placed in the "mensa" space.
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The privilege of using a portable altar was not automatically conferred on any priest. Cardinals and bishops normally had such rights under canon law, but other priests had to be given specific permission—this was, however, easily and widely obtained.
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was sometimes offered, either on a stone slab enclosing the tomb or on a structure placed above it. When the first custom-built
Christian basilicas were built, the altar of the church was placed directly above the tomb of a martyr, as in the case of
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b) The greatest care must be taken to determine whether relics intended for deposition are authentic. It is better for an altar to be dedicated without relics than to have relics of doubtful authenticity deposited under
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a) Relics for deposition should be of such a size that they can be recognized as parts of human bodies. Hence, enclosing excessively small relics of one or several Saints is to be avoided.
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only on a properly consecrated altar. This consecration was carried out by a bishop, and involved specially blessed "Gregorian Water" (water to which wine, salt, and ashes are added),
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Canon 1237 §2. The ancient tradition of placing relics of martyrs or other saints under a fixed altar is to be preserved, according to the norms given in the liturgical books.
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The tradition of the Roman
Liturgy of placing relics of Martyrs or of other Saints under the altar is fittingly to be retained. Nevertheless, the following should be noted:
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Obviously, these regulations would have made it impossible to celebrate Mass anywhere but inside of a Roman
Catholic church. To provide for other circumstances—for
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c) A reliquary must not be placed on the altar or in the table of the altar but under the table of the altar, in a manner suitable to the design of the altar.
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It is desirable to have a fixed altar in every church, but a fixed or a movable altar in other places designated for sacred celebrations (Canon 1235 §2)
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The main altar of a church had to have the same title as the church itself, for instance, there are many "side altars" in
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in the first through fourth centuries. Also in the cavity were sealed documents relating to the altar's consecration.
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This article is about an object in Roman
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units, for priests traveling alone, for missionaries, or for large outdoor celebrations of Mass on
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In contrast to the Jewish practice of building altars of several stones, the earliest
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t is not permissible to place the relics of Saints in the base of a movable altar.
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559:"Creighton University :: ILAC : Consecration of the New Altar"
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dedicates a short chapter of five canons to altars for Mass. It states:
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in one of her titles (Mother of Christ; Our Lady of Good
Counsel); or a
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The Order of
Dedication of a Church and an Altar, Chapter VI, 3
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in a cavity and intended to serve as the essential part of an
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Code of Canon Law, Book IV, Part III, Title I, Chapter IV
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Maurice
Hassett, "History of the Christian Altar" in
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252:Every altar had to have a "title" or "titulus" in
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356:The Order of Dedication of a Church and an Altar
205:Early 20th-century practice in the Latin Church
260:or one of its Persons; a title or mystery of
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318:Present canonical rules for the Latin Church
346:With regard to relics of saints, it says:
116:Learn how and when to remove this message
334:On the material to be used, it decrees:
199:Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
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132:is a piece of natural stone containing
16:Part of an altar in a Catholic church
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509:. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
469:. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
236:, at least one of which had to be a
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497:Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913).
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285:St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
217:priests could lawfully celebrate
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298:of everything from military to
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597:Christian religious objects
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244:celebration during the
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