Altar cloth

An altar cloth is used in the Christian liturgy to cover the

Since the 2nd century the altar cloth has been seen as a symbol for the shroud of Jesus Christ; therefore it should be made of white linen. Another interpretation used two cloths and compared them with the body and soul of Christ.

Christian altar cloths

Western Churches

Special cloths (not necessarily made of linen) cover the altar in many Christian churches during services and celebrations, and are often left on the altar when it is not in use. In the early 20th century the Catholic Church considered only linen or hemp to be acceptable as material for altar cloths, although in earlier centuries silk or cloth of gold or silver were used.^[1] The Anglican Communion had similar rules in that period.^[2]

At that time, the

Above this were placed two linen cloths. Like the cere cloth, they were made of heavy linen exactly the same size as the mensa of the altar. They acted as a cushion and, with the cere cloth, prevented the altar from being dented by heavy vases or communion vessels placed on top. Instead of two cloths, a single long cloth folded so that each half covered the whole mensa was acceptable.

The topmost cloth was the fair linen, a long white linen cloth laid over the two linen cloths. It had the same depth as the mensa of the altar, but was longer, generally hanging over the edges to within a few inches of the floor or, according to some authorities, it should hang 18 inches (46 cm) over the ends of the mensa. On an altar without

• A vesperal cloth, or coverlet, of the same heavy linen as the cere cloth and the linen cloths, and of the same length and width as the fair linen, was left on the altar whenever it was not in use. It simply protected the altar from dust and debris.

The present rules of the Roman Rite are much less detailed, stating only:

Out of reverence for the celebration of the memorial of the Lord and for the banquet in which the Body and Blood of the Lord are offered, there should be, on an altar where this is celebrated, at least one cloth, white in colour, whose shape, size, and decoration are in keeping with the altar's structure.^[3]

Chalice cloths

There are also special linens which pertain to the Eucharist:

• The purificator (purificatorium or more anciently emunctorium)
  communicant partakes. It is also used to wipe the chalice and paten during the ablutions
  which follow Communion.
• The pall (palla) is a stiffened square card covered with white linen, usually embroidered with a cross, or some other appropriate symbol. The purpose of the pall is to keep dust and insects from falling into the Eucharistic elements.
• The corporal is a large square white cloth upon which the chalice and paten are placed when the Eucharist is celebrated. It may be edged with fine lace, and a cross may be embroidered on it near the front edge, where the Tridentine Mass prescribed that the host be placed. Embroidery in the centre was not used, lest the chalice become unstable.^[5]
• The manuterge (also called lavabo towel) is used by the priest to dry his hands after washing them (see lavabo).
• The
  chalice veil: "It is a praiseworthy practice for the chalice to be covered with a veil, which may be either of the colour of the day or white."^[6]
• In the
  burse (known in Old English as a "corporas-case")^[4] containing the corporal. The burse was a folder made of two square pieces of stiff card or wood laid one on top of the other and bound together along one edge to form a hinge. The two pieces were attached with cloth along the two sides adjacent to the hinge, leaving the fourth side open to receive the corporal.^[7]
  At the end of Mass, the priest carried all these back to the sacristy, arranged after the same fashion. The present General Instruction of the Roman Missal does not envisage the use of a burse.

• The frontal, or
  Antependium, is the same size as the front of the altar. It is often richly decorated, made of tapestry, silk or damask. Some frontals are matchless works of art, exhibiting the finest materials and embroidery
  possible. Other churches opt for a plain frontal. One characteristic is shared by all frontals: they are coloured green, red, purple, blue, black, white, gold or of unbleached muslin, and are changed according to the colour of the Church year. Purple for Advent and the first three weekdays of for Holy Week; white or gold for Christmas, Easter and some Holy Days; green for Ordinary Time (after Epiphany and Pentecost); violet or purple or unbleached muslin for Lent; red for Pentecost and feasts of martyrs ed saints. In some Anglican parishes there is a special crimson set for Holy Week. In this way the altar has various different frontals hung upon it on different days throughout the year. The frontal may be fixed to either the cere cloth or the linen cloth to hold it in place, which cloth must be fastened to the rear edge of the altar.
• The frontlet is similar to the frontal, that is the exact width of the altar, but only ten to twelve inches deep. It hangs over the frontal, and is generally of the same colour and material. It sometimes has a short text embroidered upon it in large letters, such as "Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus". Again, the frontlet is rotated according to the colour of the church year. Like the frontal the frontlet is fastened to either the cere cloth or the linen cloth. Or, alternatively, it may be fastened to a wooden frame or strip that can be hooked in place at the front of the altar.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, altar-cloths were commonly used prior to the 4th century. Pope Boniface III is reputed to have passed a decree in the 7th century making the use of altar cloths mandatory. The use of three cloths most likely began in the 9th century and was obligatory for Roman Rite churches at the time of the Catholic Encyclopedia.^[1][8]

Previously, all Christian Churches used altar cloths. However, today some use no cloths on the altar or only the fair linen. Several variants of the above cloths and linens are also in use. Some Churches use a frontlet and no frontal, especially where the altar is richly decorated and a frontal would hide it. Where only a frontlet is used, in many cases the frontlet is permanently attached to the linen cloth, and so the linen cloth must be replaced with the frontlet. Many Churches dispense with the cere cloth and the coverlet.

Many churches of the Anglican Communion follow the tradition of the

Likewise, the text The Doctrines and Discipline of the Methodist Church specifies that "The Lord's Table should have upon it a fair linen cloth."[13]

Eastern Churches

In the

• The katasarka from Greek, or strachítsa, from Slavonic (related to the word for a shirt), is the first cloth to cover the Holy Table. It is a plain
  tomb
  . Since the altar is never seen uncovered thereafter, these tend to be constructed more with sturdiness than aesthetics in mind.
• The Indítion is placed above this first cover and is an ornamented cover, often in a brocade of a color that may change with the
  Greek cross, with the center covering the top of the Holy Table, and the "arms" of the cross covering the four sides.^[14]
• A third covering is made of the same material as the Indítion, but is smaller and square, covering the top of the Holy Table and coming down only a few inches on all four sides, something like the Western frontlet.