See also:

• AMBO, or AMBON (Gr. altswv, from avasatvew, to walk up, the reading-desk of early Basilican churches, also called 7r'p'yoc. Originally small and movable, it was afterwards made of large proportions and fixed in one place. In the Byzantine and early Romane

AMBO, or AMBON (Gr. altswv, from avasatvew, to walk up, the See also:

• READING

reading-See also:

• DESK (from Lat. discus, quoit, in med. sense of " table," cf. " dish " and Ger. Tisch, table, from same source)

desk of See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

early Basilican churches, also called 7r'p'yoc. Originally small and movable, it was afterwards made of large proportions and fixed in one See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place. In the See also:

• BYZANTINE

Byzantine and early Romane  sque periods it was an essential See also:

• PART

part of See also:

• CHURCH
• CHURCH (according to most authorities derived from the Gr. Kvpcaxov [&wµa], " the Lord's [house]," and common to many Teutonic, Slavonic and other languages under various forms—Scottish kirk, Ger. Kirche, Swed. kirka, Dan. kirke, Russ. tserkov, Buig. cerk
• CHURCH, FREDERICK EDWIN (1826-1900)
• CHURCH, GEORGE EARL (1835–1910)
• CHURCH, RICHARD WILLIAM (1815–189o)
• CHURCH, SIR RICHARD (1784–1873)

church See also:

• FURNITURE (from " furnish," Fr. fournir)

furniture; but during the See also:

• MIDDLE

middle ages it was gradually superseded in the Western Church by the See also:

• PULPIT (from Lat. pulpitum, a staging, platform: equivalents are Fr. chaire d'eglise, Ital. pulpito, Ger. Kanzel)

pulpit and See also:

• LECTERN (through 0. Fr. leitrun, from Late Lat. lectrum, or leclrinnna, legere, to read; the French equivalent is lutrin; Ital. leggio; Ger. Lesepult)

lectern . The See also:

• GOSPEL (O. Eng. godspel, i.e. good news, a translation of Lat. bona annuntiatio, or evangelium, Gr. evayyeXwv; cf. Goth. iu spillon, " to announce good news," Ulfilas' translation of the Greek, from iu, that which is good, and spellon to announce)

gospel and See also:

• EPISTLE

epistle are still read from the See also:

• AMBO, or AMBON (Gr. altswv, from avasatvew, to walk up, the reading-desk of early Basilican churches, also called 7r'p'yoc. Originally small and movable, it was afterwards made of large proportions and fixed in one place. In the Byzantine and early Romane

ambo in the Ambrosian rite at See also:

• MILAN
• MILAN (Ital. Milano, Ger. Mailand, anc. Mediolanum, q.v.)

Milan . The position of the ambo was not absolutely See also:

• UNIFORM

uniform; sometimes in the central point between the See also:

• SANCTUARY (from the late Lat. sanctuarium, a sacred place)

sanctuary and the See also:

• NAVE

nave, sometimes in the middle of the church, and some-times at one or both of the sides of the See also:

• CHANCEL (through O. Fr. from Lat. plur. cancelli, dim. of cancer, grating, lattice, probably connected with an Indo-European root Kar-, to bend; cf. circus, curve, &c.)

chancel . The normal ambo, when the church contained only one, had three stages or degrees, one above the other, and it was usually mounted by a See also:

• FLIGHT

flight of steps at each end . The uppermost See also:

• STAGE (Fr. 6/age; from Lat. stare, to stand)

stage was re-served for the See also:

• DEACON (Gr. S&& ovos, minister, servant)

deacon who sang the gospel (facing the See also:

• CONGREGATION (Lat. congregatio, a gathering together, from cum, with, grex, gregis, a flock, herd)

congregation); for promulgating episcopal edicts; reciting the names inscribed on the diptychs (see See also:

• DIPTYCH (Gr. &sravxos, two-folding), (I) A

DIPTYCH); announcing fasts, vigils and feasts; See also:

• READING

reading ecclesiastical letters or acts of the martyrs celebrated on that See also:

• DAY (O. Eng. dreg, Ger. Tag; according to the New English Dictionary, " in no way related to the Lat. dies")
• DAY, JOHN (1574-1640?)
• DAY, THOMAS (1748-1789)

day; announcing new miracles for popular edification, professions by new converts or recantations by heretics; and (for priests and deacons) See also:

• PREACHING (Fr. preecher, from Lat. praedicare, to proclaim)

preaching sermons,—bishops as a See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general See also:

• RULE

rule preaching from their own See also:

• THRONE

throne . The second stage was for the sub-deacon who read the epistle (facing the See also:

• ALTAR (Lat. altare, from alias, high; some ancient etymological guesses are recorded by St Isidore of Seville in Etymologiae xv. 4)

altar); and the third for the subordinate See also:

• CLERGY (M.E. clergie, O. Fr. clergie, from Low Lat. form clericia [Skean, by assimilation with O. Fr. clergie, Fr. clerge,from Low Lat. clericatus)
• CLERGY, BENEFIT OF

clergy who read other parts of scripture . The inconvenience of having a single ambo led to the substitution of two See also:

• SEPARATE

separate ambones, between which these various functions were divided, one on the See also:

• SOUTH
• SOUTH, ROBERT (1634–1716)

south See also:

• SIDE
• SIDE (mod. Eski Adalia)

side of the chancel being for the reading of the gospel, and one on the See also:

• NORTH
• NORTH, BARONS
• NORTH, MARIANNE (1830—1890)
• NORTH, ROGER (1653-1734)
• NORTH, SIR THOMAS (1535?-16o1?)

north for reading the epistle . In the See also:

• RUSSIAN

Russian Orthodox Church the See also:

• TERM

term " ambo " is used of the semicircular steps leading to the See also:

• PLATFORM (Fr. plateforme, i.e. ground plan)

platform in front of the See also:

• ICONOSTASIS

iconostasis (q.v.), but in cathedrals the See also:

• BISHOP (A.S. bisceop, from Lat. episcopus, Gr. irio-Korros, " overlooker " or " overseer ")
• BISHOP, ISABELLA (1832-1904)
• BISHOP, SIR HENRY ROWLEY (1786-1855)

bishop has an ambo in the centre of the church . In the See also:

• GREEK
• GREEK, ETRUSCAN AND

Greek Church the older See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form remains, usually placed at the side . In the Uniate Greek See also:

• CATHOLIC (Gr. KcaBoXuK6s, general, universal)

Catholic Church the " ambo " has become a table, on which are placed a crucifix and See also:

• LIGHTS, CEREMONIAL USE OF

lights, before the doors of the iconostasis; here baptisms, marriages and confirmations take See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place . Ambones were made of See also:

• WOOD, ANTHONY A2 (1632-1695)
• WOOD, JOHN GEORGE (1827—1889)
• WOOD, MRS HENRY [ELLEN] (1814—1887)
• WOOD, SEARLES VALENTINE (1798—188o)

wood or else of costly See also:

• MARBLES

marbles, and were decorated with mosaics, reliefs, See also:

• GILDING

gilding, &c.; sometimes also covered with canopies supported on columns . They were often of enormous See also:

• SIZE

size; that at St See also:

• SOPHIA (1630-1714)

Sophia in See also:

• CONSTANTINOPLE
• CONSTANTINOPLE, COUNCILS OF

Constantinople was large enough for the ceremonial of See also:

• CORONATION (Lat. corona, crown)

coronation .

The churches in See also:

• ROME
• ROME (Roma)

Rome possess many See also:

• FINE

fine examples of ambones in See also:

• MARBLE (from Lat. marmor, Gr. pApµapos, shining stone)

marble, of which the See also:

• OLDEST

oldest is probably that in S . Clemente, reconstructed in the beginning of the 12th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century . Those of slightly later date are enriched with marble See also:

• MOSAIC (corresponding to Lat. opus musivum, from Gr. µovoeiov, an artificial grotto often decorated with mosaics; the word is only found in the sense of mosaic in late Greek, which generally uses k oXI yrlµa)

mosaic known as See also:

• COSMATI

Cosmati See also:

• WORK

work, of which the examples in S . Maria-in-Ara-Coeli, S . Maria-in-Cosmedin and S . Lorenzo are those which are best known . Some See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

early ambones are found in See also:

• RAVENNA
• RAVENNA, EXARCHATE OF

Ravenna, and in the south of See also:

• ITALY
• ITALY (Italia)

Italy are many fine examples; the epistle ambo in the See also:

• CATHEDRAL

cathedral at See also:

• RAVELLO

Ravello (1130), which is perhaps the earliest, shows a Scandinavian See also:

• INFLUENCE (Late Lat. influentia, from influere, to flow in)

influence in the See also:

• DESIGN (Fr. desiin, drawing; Lat. designare, to mark out)

design of its mosaic inlay, an influence which is found in Sicilian work and may be a See also:

• NORMAN
• NORMAN, SIR HENRY WYLIE (1826-1904)

Norman importation . The two ambones in the cathedral of See also:

• SALERNO (anc. Salernum)

Salerno,which are different in design, are magnificent in effect and are enriched with See also:

• SCULPTURE
• SCULPTURE (Lat. sculptura, from sculpere, to carve, cognate with Gr. yXb4ew)

sculpture as well as with mosaic . In the gospel ambo in the cathedral of Ravello (1272), and also in that of the See also:

• CONVENT (Lat. conventus, from convenire, to come together)

convent of the Trinita della Cava near Salerno, the See also:

• SPIRAL

spiral columns inlaid with mosaic stand on the backs of lions . In the epistle ambo at Salerno and the gospel ambones at Cava and See also:

• SAN

San Giovanni del See also:

• TORO

Toro in Ravello, the columns support segmental See also:

• ARCHES, COURT OF

arches carrying the ambones; the epistle ambo at Ravello and all those in Rome are raised on solid marble bases . See the liturgical and ecclesiastical dictionaries of Martigny; See also:

• MIGNE, JACQUES PAUL (1800-1875)

Migne, and See also:

• SMITH
• SMITH, ADAM (1723–1790)
• SMITH, ALEXANDER (183o-1867)
• SMITH, ANDREW JACKSON (1815-1897)
• SMITH, CHARLES EMORY (1842–1908)
• SMITH, CHARLES FERGUSON (1807–1862)
• SMITH, CHARLOTTE (1749-1806)
• SMITH, COLVIN (1795—1875)
• SMITH, EDMUND KIRBY (1824-1893)
• SMITH, G
• SMITH, GEORGE (1789-1846)
• SMITH, GEORGE (184o-1876)
• SMITH, GEORGE ADAM (1856- )
• SMITH, GERRIT (1797–1874)
• SMITH, GOLDWIN (1823-191o)
• SMITH, HENRY BOYNTON (1815-1877)
• SMITH, HENRY JOHN STEPHEN (1826-1883)
• SMITH, HENRY PRESERVED (1847– )
• SMITH, JAMES (1775–1839)
• SMITH, JOHN (1579-1631)
• SMITH, JOHN RAPHAEL (1752–1812)
• SMITH, JOSEPH, JR
• SMITH, MORGAN LEWIS (1822–1874)
• SMITH, RICHARD BAIRD (1818-1861)
• SMITH, ROBERT (1689-1768)
• SMITH, SIR HENRY GEORGE WAKELYN
• SMITH, SIR THOMAS (1513-1577)
• SMITH, SIR WILLIAM (1813-1893)
• SMITH, SIR WILLIAM SIDNEY (1764-1840)
• SMITH, SYDNEY (1771-1845)
• SMITH, THOMAS SOUTHWOOD (1788-1861)
• SMITH, WILLIAM (1769-1839)
• SMITH, WILLIAM (c. 1730-1819)
• SMITH, WILLIAM (fl. 1596)
• SMITH, WILLIAM FARRAR (1824—1903)
• SMITH, WILLIAM HENRY (1808—1872)
• SMITH, WILLIAM HENRY (1825—1891)
• SMITH, WILLIAM ROBERTSON (1846-'894)

Smith and Cheetham, sub voce, where all the scattered references are collected together and summarized . In Ciampinus, Vetera Monumenta (Rome, 1947), plates xii., xiii., are several illustrations of actual examples .