Freestanding canopy of stone, wood, or metal over an altar or tomb. The Italian term baldacchino originally referred to brocaded material from Baghdad hung as a canopy over an altar or throne. The characteristic architectural form consists of four columns supporting entablatures, which carry miniature colonnades topped by a pyramidal or gabled roof. Gian Lorenzo Bernini's famous bronze baldachin (1624–33) stands at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

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A ciborium (plural ciboria) is a covered container used in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and related churches to store the consecrated hosts of the sacrament of Holy Communion. A ciborium is also an architectural feature in some churches.

Sacred vessel

container in the shape of a chalice but its bowl is more round than conical, and takes its name from its cover, surmounted by a cross or other sacred design. In the early Christian Church, Holy Communion was not kept in churches for fear of sacrilege or desecration. Later, the first ciboria were kept at homes to be handy for the Last Rites where needed. In churches, a ciborium is usually kept in a tabernacle or aumbry. In some cases, it may be veiled (see photograph below) to indicate the presence of the consecrated hosts.

Other containers for the host include the paten (a small plate) or a basin (for loaves of bread rather than wafers) used at the time of consecration and distribution at the main service of Holy Eucharist. A pyx is a small, circular container into which a few consecrated hosts can be placed. Pyxes are typically used to bring communion to the sick or shut-in.

Architectural element

In ecclesiastical architecture, a ciborium is a canopy or covering supported by columns, freestanding in the sanctuary, that covers the altar in a basilica or other church. Such a ciborium is also known (albeit inaccurately) as a baldachin.

See also

• Tabernacle

External links

• "Ciborium" article from Catholic Encyclopedia
• "Baldaquin" article from Encyclopaedia Britannica
• "cyborium style" reliquaries Saints Alive Websiste
• The Ciborium (το κιβοριο) at the Church of a Hundred Doors in Paros, Greece (6th century)