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A cantharus, also known as a phiala, is a fountain used by
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
s for
ablution Ablution is the act of washing oneself. It may refer to: * Ablution as hygiene * Ablution as ritual purification ** Ablution in Islam: *** Wudu, daily wash *** Ghusl, bathing ablution *** Tayammum, waterless ablution ** Ablution in Christianity * ...
before entering a
church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...
. These ablutions involve the washing of the hands, face, and feet. The cantharus is traditionally located in the
exonarthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex w ...
of the church. The water emitted by a cantharus is to be running water. The practice of ablutions before prayer and worship in Christianity symbolizes "separation from sins of the spirit and surrender to the Lord."
Eusebius Eusebius of Caesarea (; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος ; 260/265 – 30 May 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilus (from the grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος τοῦ Παμφίλου), was a Greek historian of Christianity, exegete, and Christian ...
recorded this practice of canthari located in the courtyards of churches, for the faithful to wash themselves before entering a Christian house of worship. The practice has its origins Jewish practice of performing ablutions before entering into the presence of God (cf. ). Though canthari are not as prevalent anymore in
Western Christianity Western Christianity is one of two sub-divisions of Christianity ( Eastern Christianity being the other). Western Christianity is composed of the Latin Church and Western Protestantism, together with their offshoots such as the Old Catholic ...
, they are found in
Eastern Christian Eastern Christianity comprises Christian traditions and church families that originally developed during classical and late antiquity in Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Northeast Africa, the Fertile Crescent and ...
and Oriental Christian churches.


Gallery

Famous canthari found throughout
Christendom Christendom historically refers to the Christian states, Christian-majority countries and the countries in which Christianity dominates, prevails,SeMerriam-Webster.com : dictionary, "Christendom"/ref> or is culturally or historically intertwine ...
: File:Arabic fountain Monreale93.jpg, Cantharus of
Monreale Cathedral Monreale Cathedral ( it, Cattedrale di Santa Maria Nuova di Monreale; Duomo di Monreale) is a Catholic church in Monreale, Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily, southern Italy. One of the greatest existent examples of Norman architecture, it wa ...
(Italy) File:P8062924w (7826003130).jpg, Cantharus at the
Old Cathedral of Coimbra The Old Cathedral of Coimbra ( pt, Sé Velha de Coimbra) is a Romanesque architecture, Romanesque Roman Catholic building in Portugal. Construction of the Sé Velha began some time after the Battle of Ourique (1139), when Prince Afonso Henriques ...
(Portugal) File:Megistis Lavras 2.jpg, Cantharus at Great Lavra Church (Greece)


See also

* Seven fixed prayer times *
Holy water font A holy water font or stoup is a vessel containing holy water which is generally placed near the entrance of a church. It is often placed at the base of a crucifix or religious representation. It is used in the Catholic Church, Anglican Churches ...
*
Home stoup A home stoup is a small stoup with a small bowl and a decorated plaque that Christians in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran traditions, hang inside homes, either at the house's entrance or, more commonly, on a bedroom wall at the head of ...
, used by Christians for blessing oneself *
Hygiene in Christianity In certain denominations of Christianity, hygiene in Christianity includes a number of regulations involving cleanliness before prayer, as well as those concerning diet and apparel. History The Bible has many rituals of purification relating ...
*
Lavabo A lavabo is a device used to provide water for the washing of hands. It consists normally of a ewer or container of some kind to pour water, and a bowl to catch the water as it falls off the hands. In ecclesiastical usage it refers to all of: the b ...
, used by Christian priests in performing liturgical ablutions *
Lavatorium A lavatorium (plural ''lavatoria''), also anglicisation, anglicised as laver and lavatory, was the communal washing area in a monastery, particularly in medieval abbeys and cathedral cloisters. Monks were required to wash before meals; thus the la ...
, used by Christians monks for communal washing before meals * Maundy, the Christian rite of footwashing *
Sebil (fountain) A sebil or sabil ( ar, سبيل, sabīl ; Turkish: ''sebil'') is a small kiosk in the Islamic architectural tradition where water is freely dispensed to members of the public by an attendant behind a grilled window. The term is sometimes also ...
, an Islamic fountain for ritual ablutions *
Shadirvan A shadirvan ( fa, شادروان, tr, şadırvan, ar, شاذروان) is a type of fountain that is usually built in the courtyard or near the entrance of mosques, caravanserais, khanqahs, and madrasas, with the main purpose of providing wa ...
, an Islamic fountain for ritual ablutions *
Tradition of removing shoes in the home and houses of worship In many cultures, there is a tradition of removing one's shoes in the home and places such as churches, temples and schools. Backgrounds In religions originating in the Indian subcontinent and in the Middle East, it is customary to remove on ...


References

{{reflist Ritual purity in Christianity Hygiene Church architecture Fountains