[Rationale divinorum officiorum]

the sacrifice of the altar is offered, signifying the whole body.

But according to Richard of Saint Victor, the arrangement of the church signifies the threefold state of those being saved in the church: the order of virgins, the chorus of the continent, and the body of the married. The sanctuary is narrower than the chorus, and the chorus narrower than the body, because virgins are fewer than the continent, and those fewer than the married.

The place of the sanctuary is also more sacred than the chorus, and the chorus than the body, because the order of virgins is more worthy than that of the continent, and those more than the married. To this end, the church rises high from four walls, that is, from the doctrine of the four evangelists, being long and wide, that is, in the heights of the virtues. Its length is long-suffering, which patiently endures adversities until it reaches the homeland. Its breadth is charity, which, through the dilation of the mind, loves friends in God and enemies for the sake of God. Its height, however, is the hope of future retribution, which despises both prosperity and adversity until it sees the gifts of the land in the land of the living. Again, in the temple of God or of grace, the foundation is faith, which is of things not seen; the roof is charity, which covers a multitude of sins; the door is obedience, concerning which the Lord says, "If you wish to enter life, keep the commandments"; the pavement is humility, of which the Psalm says, "My soul has cleaved to the pavement." The four side walls are the four cardinal virtues: justice, fortitude, prudence, and temperance. These are the four equal sides of the city in the Apocalypse. The windows are hospitality with cheerfulness and mercy with generosity; regarding this house, the Lord says, "We will come to him and make our dwelling with him." Some churches, however, are formed in the shape of a cross, to note that we are crucified to the world, or that we follow the crucified one, according to that: "Whoever wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." Some are also formed in the shape of a round circle, which signifies that the church has been dilated through the circle of the world. Whence that: "And their words have gone out to the ends of the earth," or that from the circle of the earth we may arrive at the circle of the crown of eternity. Indeed, the chorus of clerics is the consensus of those singing, or a multitude gathered in sacred things. The chorus is called chorea a dance or corona a crown; for of old they stood in the manner of a crown around the altars and thus sang psalms concordantly. But Flavian and Theodore, instructed by Ignatius, who was divinely taught concerning this, ordained that they should sing psalms alternately. Therefore, the two choirs of those singing designate the angels and the spirits of the just, as if praising with reciprocal will and exhorting each other to good works. Others said the choir is named from concordia concord, which consists in charity, because he who does not have charity cannot sing fittingly. What this choir signifies, and why the seniors sit in the back and the juniors in the front, will be told in the fourth part under the entry "On the access to the altar." And note that when one sings, it is called in Greek monodia a solo, in Latin ticinium a single-song; when two sing, it is called bicinium a double-song; when many, a chorus.

An exedra an apse or a certain circular space is a seat or a certain wheel separated a little from the temple or palace, so named

because it is extracted original: "extraheret" from the wall; in Greek it is called siton a place of grain/gathering, and it signifies the faithful laity adhering to Christ and the Church.

Crypts, or subterranean caves, which are made in certain churches, are for hermits, the cultivators of a more secret life.

The atrium original: "Atrium" of the church signifies Christ, through whom one enters the heavenly Jerusalem, which is also called a portico, named either from the door Latin: "porta" or because it is open.

The towers of the church are the preachers and prelates of the church, who are its fortification and defense. Whence the bridegroom speaks to the bride in the Song of Songs: "Your neck is like the tower of David, built with bulwarks." The pinnacle of the tower represents the life or mind of the prelate, which reaches out from on high.

The rooster placed above the church designates preachers. For the rooster, ever-watchful in the middle of the night, divides the hours with his song, awakens the sleeping, and foretells the approaching day; but first, he excites himself to sing by beating his wings. These individual things do not lack mystery. For night is this world; the sleepers are the children of this night, lying in sins. The rooster is the preacher, who preaches distinctly and awakens the sleepers so that they may cast off the works of darkness, crying out to the sleeping, "Arise, you who sleep," announcing the coming light. While they preach the day of judgment and future glory, and prudently, before they preach virtues to others, they awaken themselves from the sleep of sin and chastise their own body. Whence the Apostle: "I chastise my body," etc. Others also, just as the rooster turns himself against the wind, when they resist the rebellious strongly by rebuking and arguing, lest they be accused of having fled when the wolf comes.

The iron rod upon which the rooster sits preaches the upright sermon of preaching, so that he does not speak from the spirit of man, but of God, according to that: "If anyone speaks, let it be as the words of God," etc. Since the rod itself is placed above the cross or the summit of the church, it signifies that the sermon of the scriptures is consummated and confirmed. Whence the Lord says in the Passion, "It is consummated," and His title was written intelligibly above Him.

The neck, that is, the summit of the temple, which is prominent and round, upon which the cross is placed, signifies the roundness of the head, because the Catholic faith must be preached and held perfectly and inviolably. If anyone does not keep it whole and inviolable, without a doubt he will perish eternally.

The windows of the church are the divine scriptures, which repel wind and rain, that is, they prevent harmful things, and while they transmit the clarity of the true sun, that is, of God, into the church, that is, into the hearts of the faithful, they illuminate those inhabiting it. This surpasses the letter within. Also, through the windows the five senses of the body are signified, which ought to be strict outwardly, so that they do not drink in vanities, and open inwardly to receive divine gifts more deeply. By the chancels, however, which are before the windows, we understand the prelates or other obscure doctors of the militant church, in whom, for the two precepts of charity, two columns are doubled, according to the fact that the apostles are also sent out in pairs to preach.

The door of the church is Christ. Whence in the Gospel the Lord says, "I am the door." The apostles are also said to be gates. An entrance is...