What is Chancel?
[[File:Basilica di San Clemente al Laterano - interno.jpg|thumb|Interior of the [[Basilica of San Clemente]] in [[Rome]], showing the chancel.]] [[File:Santa Sabina (Rome) - Interno.jpg|thumb|Chancel of the [[Santa Sabina|Basilica of Santa Sabina]], also in Rome.]] The '''chancel''' is a part of the [[architecture]] of many [[church]]es. It serves as a [[wikt:barrier|barrier]] between the part of the church accessible to [[laymen|lay people]] and the [[Choir (architecture)|choir]], which was reserved to the [[clergy]]. The [[rood screen]] has the same function, but a different layout. The [[Iconostasis]] is a kind of chancel which is richly decorated, and is used in [[Eastern Orthodox]] churches. The chancel is where the congregation receives the blood and body of Jesus. The chancel is usually found in a Roman Catholic church. The bread and wine are changed to the body and blood of Jesus through [[transubstantiation]]. The [[Fourth Lateran Council]] of 1215 required clergy made sure that the area was inaccessible to the public. The main [[altar]] of the church is usually in the area behind the Chancel. {{religion-stub}} [[Category:Church architecture]]