Retroquire
Appearance
In church architecture, a retroquire (also spelled retrochoir), or back-choir,[1] is the space behind the high altar in a church or cathedral, which sometimes separates it from the end chapel. It may contain seats for the church choir.[2]
An example of a retroquire is within Winchester Cathedral, which was built between 1200 and 1230 to house a shrine for Saint Swithun.[3]
See also
References
- ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- ^ "Retrochoir". Merriam-Webster. 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
Definition of Retrochoir 1: the space left in a church behind the high altar or choir enclosure sometimes used as a chapel and occasionally containing a second choir enclosure
- ^ "Our Heritage » Our History » Building the Cathedral". Winchester Cathedral. Retrieved 17 December 2019.