The antimension, (from the Greek: "instead of the table"; in
Slavonic: antimins), is among the most important furnishings of
the altar in Orthodox Christian liturgical traditions. It is a
rectangular piece of cloth, of either linen or silk, typically
decorated with representations of the entombment of Christ, the
four Evangelists, and scriptural passages related to the
Eucharist. A small relic of a martyr is sewn into it. The
Eucharist cannot be celebrated without an antimension. The
antimension is placed in the center of the altar table and is
unfolded only during the Divine Liturgy, before the Anaphora. At
the end of the Liturgy, the antimension is folded in thirds, and
then in thirds again, so that when it is unfolded the creases
form a cross. When folded, the antimension sits in the center of
another slightly larger cloth, the eileton (Slavonic: Ilitón)
which is then folded around it in the same manner (3 x 3),
encasing it completely. A flattened natural sponge is also kept
inside the antimension, which i