A set of altar rails in a Dublin Church.(Though this particular sanctuary was re-ordered, both the reredos and the altar rails were left in place.)

Altar rails are a set of railings, sometimes ornate and frequently of marble or wood, delimiting the sanctuary in a church, the part that contains the altar. A gate, often of brass, at the centre divides the line into two parts. The sanctuary is a figure of heaven, into which entry is not guaranteed. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Dublin (Irish: Baile Átha Cliath), is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Ireland, located near the midpoint of Irelands east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the centre of the Dublin Region. ... An altar and reredos from University Church, Dublin A reredos is a screen or decoration behind the altar in a church, usually depicting religious iconography or images. ... Sanctuary has multiple meanings. ... An ancient Roman altar An altar is any structure upon which sacrifices or other offerings are offered for religious purposes. ...

Barriers of various kinds often mark off as especially sacred the area of a church close to the altar, which is largely reserved for ordained clergy. In the Armenian rite curtains are drawn to cut off that area during the holiest moments of the liturgy. In other eastern rites, this evolved into a solid icon-clad screen, called the iconostasis, with three doorways, in each of which there are usually curtains that can be closed or drawn aside at various times. Western Europe had its more transparent Gothic rood screens and the smaller more economical altar rails. Iconostasis of Elias prophet church, Yaroslavl In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis (the plural is iconostases, whose last syllable rhymes with ease) is a wall of icons, religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. ... The rood screen was a common feature in the late medieval English church, dividing the chancel from the nave - its function being to separate the clergy from the laity. ...

Many Roman Catholic churches have had altar rails, those of the late nineteenth century being particularly decorative. Communicants receiving the Eucharist knelt at the railings to be given communion by a priest. After the Second Vatican Council, a re-ordering of churches led to the removal of many altar rails. Previously, only altar servers were allowed to join the clergy within the sanctuary during the celebration of the liturgy. Now, Lay Readers of Scripture and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion may enter the sanctuary during Mass, symbolizing a greater access to heaven and the increased role of the laity in priestly functions. Many bishops of the Church proposed the removal of altar rails because they felt that the rails were inconsistent with the Vatican's desire to reduce the differentiation of members of the Church. Some conservative Catholics see the altar rails as reminders of the need for humility and others object that their absence reduces reverence at communion, because communicants must stand in line in such a church. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... The Eucharist is the rite that Christians perform in fulfillment of Jesus instruction, recorded in the New Testament, to do in memory of him what he did at his Last Supper. ... The Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II, was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church opened under Pope John XXIII in 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI in 1965. ... An altar server is a lay assistant to a member of the clergy during a religious service. ... Many religions and spiritual movements hold certain written texts (or series of spoken legends not traditionally written down) to be sacred. ... Unlike in several Protestant churches, in the Roman Catholic Church the term minister is not commonly used to refer to a member of the clergy nor as a common term of address. ... Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) presiding at the 2005 Easter Vigil Mass in place of Pope John Paul II. Mass is the term used of the celebration of the Eucharist in the Latin rites of the Roman Catholic Church. ... In religious organizations, the laity comprises all lay persons collectively. ...

Traditionalist Catholics and many architects and planners critised some removals, often on liturgical, historical and æsthetic grounds. While in some states, the Roman Catholic Church has adopted a minimalist approach towards the removal of altar rails, in other countries, for example in Ireland, almost every re-ordering eliminated altar rails. Most conservative Catholics resisted the changes: some have taken legal action to try to prevent the removal of altar rails and of other traditional features in pre-Vatican II sanctuaries. However, not all liberal Catholics supported the changes to sanctuaries; some have disputed the belief that the altar rails were a barrier, claiming that many churches were able to allow full participation by the laity in the new Order of the Mass without removing altar rails. Then-Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) presiding over the 2005 Easter Vigil Mass at St. ...

The Holy See has responded to queries by stating that there is no requirement that altar rails must always be removed; this only needs to be done when enlarging the sanctuary or bringing forward the altar. It is the diocesan bishop who is to decide on concrete questions of removal of the altar rails in a church of his diocese.

In other denominations, such as many of the churches of the Anglican Communion and the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, the use of altar rails has remained more common. The Anglican Communion uses the compass rose as its symbol, signifying its worldwide reach and decentralized nature. ... The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) is the second-largest Lutheran body in the United States. ...