Its liturgical use likely came from the campstool used by military commanders in the field, being the ceremonial chair that accompanied the bishop in his official visitations. The bishop will either use the faldstool as a seat, or kneel in front of it, resting his forearms on it in prayer like a prie-dieu, depending upon the rubrical requirements. Other prelates may be granted the use of a faldstool during services, with certain limitations. The faldstool may be covered with silk cloth in red, green or violet, depending upon the liturgical season or the rank of the prelate.
The term also describes the small, cushioned stool at which the British sovereign kneels at his coronation.
In the Anglican Church, a faldstool is a desk at which a litany is recited.
The term faldistory has a similar meaning.
References
- American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (Houghton-Mifflin Co. Boston, 1973), s.v., "faldstool".
External links
- Faldstool article in the online edition of the Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Thursday January 24, 2008 at 11:34:21 PST (GMT -0800)
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