iconostasis

[ ahy-kuh-nos-tuh-sis ]

noun

, Eastern Church.

, plural i·co·nos·ta·ses [ahy-k, uh, -, nos, -t, uh, -seez].

1. a partition or screen on which icons are placed, separating the sanctuary from the main part of the church.

iconostasis

/ aɪˈkɒnəˌstæs; ˌaɪkəʊˈnɒstəsɪs /

noun

1. Eastern Churches a screen with doors and icons set in tiers, which separates the bema (sanctuary) from the nave

Word History and Origins

Origin of iconostasis¹

From Medieval Greek, dating back to 1825–35; icono-, stasis

Word History and Origins

Origin of iconostasis¹

C19: Church Latin, from Late Greek eikonostasion shrine, literally: area where images are placed, from icono- + histanai to stand

Example Sentences

These include an "elaborate" baldacchino, a metal canopy over the altar, and an iconostasis.

From BBC

They said it was "converted by adding traditional features", including an iconostasis, a brightly coloured, highly ornate screen of icons, and "was designated as the 'mother church' - or Sobor - when it was consecrated".

From BBC

Despite overseeing the operation, Kozhan was amazed by the speed with which the 17th-century Bohorodchany Iconostasis - a grouping of religions paintings measuring 10m by 8m and one of the museum's most valuable pieces - had been dismantled by his team.

From BBC

Constructed and painted over seven years beginning in 1698, the iconostasis represents the high watermark of the work of the icon painter Yov Kondzelevych.

From BBC

The artifacts originally stood in the central gateway of the iconostasis — the ornately decorated screen that separates the sanctuary from the rest of an Orthodox church — of Saint Anastasios in Peristeronopigi village.

From Seattle Times