Altar facts for kids

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The High Altar at the Basilica of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Dyersville, Iowa.

An altar is a place, often a table, where a religious event happens. Altars are used in Christianity and in other religions.

In some old religions, the event was a sacrifice, which means a holy work. Usually the priest would use this item.

Images for kids

Altar in Roskilde Cathedral dwarfed by a huge carved reredos
Dedication of an altar
A home altar in a Methodist Christian household, with a cross and candles surrounded by other religious items
Early Coptic altar carved into the wall of the Temple of Isis on the island Philae in Egypt.
Altar of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere with ciborium
Altar of Newman University Church, Dublin, with an altar ledge occupying the only space between it and the wall
High altar of Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome
High altar of St. Michael's Church, Munich dwarfed by a huge reredos
St. Valentine's Church the altar of Our Lady of Sorrows and Child in Osieczna, Poland
Altar at the Lutheran Jesus Church in Valby, Copenhagen.
Contemporary altar at the Lutheran Bavnehøj Kirke.
The altar in St. Mary Anglican Church, Redcliffe, Bristol. It is decorated with a frontal in green, a colour typically associated with the seasons after Epiphany and Pentecost. Note the reredos behind the free-standing altar.
High Altar of St Paul's Anglican Cathedral, London
The High Altar area at Canterbury Cathedral
A traditional Russian Orthodox Holy Table (Altar), Church of the Saviour on the Blood, St. Petersburg
The Holy Place (Sanctuary) in the church of the Saint Vladimir Skete at Valaam Monastery. To the left is the Holy Table (altar) with the Gospel Book, the Tabernacle, and the seven-branch candlestand. The Table of Oblation is in the background to the left. To the right is the Cathedra (Bishop's Throne).
A contemporary Byzantine Catholic altar during the Divine Liturgy at St. Joseph Church in Chicago, Illinois.
Altar at the Etchmiadzin Cathedral.
Murugan temple in Roermond, Netherlands.
Shree Ganesh Mandir, Jhansi
A family altar in India.
A bàn thờ is an altar used in ancestral worship in Vietnam
A Shinto Kamidana (household altar) in Japan. Note the shimenawa, a rope demarking the sanctuary area shown above.
Horned altar at Tel Be'er Sheva, Israel.
The ancient Altar of Pergamon, reconstructed at the Pergamon museum, Berlin.
The altar with ciborium at All Saints Anglican church, Bristol, England
The Lord's Table in St Barnabas' Church, Dulwich (Diocese of Southwark)
Altar in Bunyip, Victoria, Australia
Altar at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco
Altar at Anglo-Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd (Rosemont, Pennsylvania)

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Altar Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.