sacristy

[ sak-ri-stee ]

noun

, plural sac·ris·ties.

1. an apartment in or a building connected with a church or a religious house, in which the sacred vessels, vestments, etc., are kept.

sacristy

/ ˈsækrɪstɪ /

noun

1. a room attached to a church or chapel where the sacred vessels, vestments, etc, are kept and where priests attire themselves

Word History and Origins

Origin of sacristy¹

1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin sacristia vestry, equivalent to sacrist ( a ) ( sacristan ) + -ia -y ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of sacristy¹

C17: from Medieval Latin sacristia; see sacristan

Example Sentences

One sister recalled a time when she and another altar server accidentally spilled open a bag of already-consecrated Eucharist wafers as they were preparing for mass in the wood-paneled sacristy.

From Salon

“It was a church that was not in the sacristy, but with the people.”

From Seattle Times

“You could take the basilica to New York, but we are here,” he said in the sacristy, long after the day’s tourists had stopped wandering above.

From Washington Times

The original tiles in the sacristy and in the baptistery were not able to be saved, however, because they were ruined by flooding in the aftermath of firefighting efforts.

From Los Angeles Times

More than three years after the massive blaze, eight glass manufactures from France have begun the painstaking operation to clean and restore 39 high windows in the medieval cathedral's nave, choir, transept and sacristy.

From Reuters