Q. What is a narthex in a church?
A. The narthex is essentially a modified loggia. A loggia (lo-jee-a) is a long hallway in old churches and chapels – especially in the seminaries and monasteries – between the main entrance to the building and the doors to the church itself. It is a transition from the noise of the outside world to the heavenly reality contained within the church, particularly the celebration of liturgies. It is meant to quiet the mind and heart to lead to a deeper encounter with the Divine, so the loggia is a quiet place to go from earth to heaven. A loggia is a place of quiet, so voices are silent, and with only essential conversation that never exceeds the volume of a whisper.
The narthex serves a similar purpose: we are retreating from the world to enter the holy presence of God, and it is the space of quiet transition. However, it should also serve the purpose of community and information. So it can become a gathering place for people to reflect on the liturgy or readings, catch up with family, and even be a space squirrely kids during Mass. Unfortunately, this can turn the narthex into a lobby, and it loses its sacred silence. There is no issue using it as a gathering space in certain contexts; however, it can quickly become clutter – not just physically, but spiritually.
There is not necessarily a problem with putting things in the narthex, but we must ask the question of whether they preserve or disrupt the quieting of the mind for a divine encounter. Anything in the narthex is strategically placed to that end, avoiding “turning my Father’s house into a marketplace.”
There is no need to be anxious about strictly maintaining an absolute silence in the narthex, but let us remember that it is a time and place to transition from the worldly to the divine as we prepare to enter the Presence of our God!
This question was answered by Father Christopher Stoley, pastor of St. Peter Parish in Lincoln. It first ran in the parish’s Sept. 25 bulletin.
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