What does the apse symbolize?

The apse, being at the front of the church, is ornately decorated in order to create a feeling of the divine coming from heaven. As such, many were decorated with pictures of heavenly creatures or passages from the bible. Traditionally, churches have been constructed to look like crosses from an aerial view.



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In architecture, an apse is a curved or rounded section at one end of a building. You'll most often find an apse in a church. In Gothic, Romanesque, and Byzantine Christian churches, it's very common to find a semicircular area with a vaulted ceiling, often topped by a dome, on the east side of the building.

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Some of the key architectural features of a cathedral are the narthex (main entrance area), the nave (main aisle leading to the front of the cathedral), and the apse (location of the altar).

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The sanctuary is the area, often raised, in the front of the church where the altar, the ambo, the celebrant's chair and, in many churches, the tabernacle are located.

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