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A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accessed by steps, with sides coming to about waist height. From the late medieval period onwards, pulpits have often had a canopy known as the
sounding board A sounding board, also known as a tester and abat-voix is a structure placed above and sometimes also behind a pulpit or other speaking platform that helps to project the sound of the speaker. It is usually made of wood. The structure may be spe ...
, ''tester'' or ''abat-voix'' above and sometimes also behind the speaker, normally in wood. Though sometimes highly decorated, this is not purely decorative, but can have a useful acoustic effect in projecting the preacher's voice to the
congregation A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: *Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administra ...
below. Most pulpits have one or more book-stands for the preacher to rest his or her bible, notes or texts upon. The pulpit is generally reserved for clergy. This is mandated in the regulations of the Catholic Church, and several others (though not always strictly observed). Even in Welsh
Nonconformism Nonconformity or nonconformism may refer to: Culture and society * Insubordination, the act of willfully disobeying an order of one's superior *Dissent, a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or entity ** ...
, this was felt appropriate, and in some chapels a second pulpit was built opposite the main one for lay exhortations,
testimonies ''Testimonies'' is a 1952 novel, set in North Wales, by the English author Patrick O'Brian. It was first published in the UK under the title ''Three Bear Witness,'' and in the US as ''Testimonies''. Although the book's first English reviews w ...
and other speeches.Francis, 19 Many churches have a second, smaller stand called the lectern located in the Epistle side, which can be used by lay persons, and is often used for other Scripture lessons and ordinary announcements. The traditional Catholic location of the pulpit to the left side of the chancel or nave has been generally retained by Lutherans and many
Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
s, while in Presbyterian and Baptist churches the pulpit is located in the centre behind the
communion table Communion table or Lord's table are terms used by many Protestant churches—particularly from Reformed, Baptist and low church Anglican and Methodist bodies—for the table used for preparation of Holy Communion (a sacrament also called the '' ...
. Many modern Roman Catholic churches have an
ambo Ambo may refer to: Places * Ambo, Kiribati * Ambo Province, Huanuco Region, Peru ** Ambo District ** Ambo, Peru, capital of Ambo District * Ambo Town, a town in Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia ** Ambo, Ethiopia, a capital of West Shewa Zone ...
that functions as both a pulpit and lectern. Equivalent platforms for speakers are the
bema A bema was an elevated platform used as an orator's podium in ancient Athens. The term can refer to the raised area in a sanctuary. In Jewish synagogues, where it is used for Torah reading during services, the term used is bima or bimah. Ancien ...
(bima, bimah) of ancient Greece and Jewish synagogues, and the
minbar A minbar (; sometimes romanized as ''mimber'') is a pulpit in a mosque where the imam (leader of prayers) stands to deliver sermons (, ''khutbah''). It is also used in other similar contexts, such as in a Hussainiya where the speaker sits and le ...
of Islamic mosques. ''From the pulpit'' is often used
synecdochically Synecdoche ( ) is a type of metonymy: it is a figure of speech in which a term for a part of something is used to refer to the whole (''pars pro toto''), or vice versa (''totum pro parte''). The term comes from Greek . Examples in common Engl ...
for something which is said with official church
authority In the fields of sociology and political science, authority is the legitimate power of a person or group over other people. In a civil state, ''authority'' is practiced in ways such a judicial branch or an executive branch of government.''The N ...
.


Location of pulpit and lectern

In many Reformed and Evangelical Protestant denominations, the pulpit is at the centre of the front of the church, while in the Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican traditions the pulpit is placed to one side and the altar or communion table is in the centre. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Often, the one on the left (as viewed by the congregation) is called the pulpit. Since the Gospel lesson is often read from the pulpit, the pulpit side of the church is sometimes called the ''gospel side''. In both Catholic and Protestant churches the pulpit may be located closer to the main congregation in the nave, either on the nave side of the crossing, or at the side of the nave some way down. This is especially the case in large churches, to ensure the preacher can be heard by all the congregation. Fixed seating for the congregation came relatively late in the history of church architecture, so the preacher being behind some of the congregation was less of an issue than later. Fixed seating facing forward in the nave and modern electric amplification has tended to reduce the use of pulpits in the middle of the nave. Outdoor pulpits, usually attached to the exterior of the church, or at a
preaching cross A preaching cross is a Christian cross sometimes surmounting a pulpit, which is erected outdoors to designate a preaching place. In Great Britain, Britain and Ireland, many free-standing upright crosses – or high crosses – were erected. Some ...
, are also found in several denominations. If attached to the outside wall of a church, these may be entered from a doorway in the wall, or by steps outside. The other speaker's stand, usually on the right (as viewed by the congregation), is known as the lectern. The word ''lectern'' comes from the Latin word "lectus" past participle of legere, meaning "to read", because the lectern primarily functions as a reading stand. It is typically used by lay people to read the scripture lessons (except for the Gospel lesson), to lead the congregation in prayer, and to make announcements. Because the epistle lesson is usually read from the lectern, the lectern side of the church is sometimes called the ''epistle side''. In other churches, the lectern, from which the
Epistle An epistle (; el, ἐπιστολή, ''epistolē,'' "letter") is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter. The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in ancient Egypt as par ...
is read, is located to the congregation's left and the pulpit, from which the sermon is delivered, is located on the right (the Gospel being read from either the centre of the chancel or in front of the altar). Though unusual, movable pulpits with wheels were also found in English churches. They were either wheeled into place for each service where they would be used or, as at the hospital church in
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...
, rotated to different positions in the church quarterly in the year, to allow all parts of the congregation a chance to have the best sound.Francis, 18 A portable outside pulpit of wood and canvas was used by
John Wesley John Wesley (; 2 March 1791) was an English people, English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The soci ...
, and a 19th-century Anglican vicar devised a folding iron pulpit for using outdoors.


Origins

The Ancient Greek ''
bema A bema was an elevated platform used as an orator's podium in ancient Athens. The term can refer to the raised area in a sanctuary. In Jewish synagogues, where it is used for Torah reading during services, the term used is bima or bimah. Ancien ...
'' () means both 'platform' and 'step', and was used for a variety of secular raised speaking platforms in ancient Greece and Rome, and from those times to today for the central raised platform in Jewish
synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
s. Modern synagogue bimahs are often similar in form to centrally-placed pulpits in Evangelical churches. The use of a bema carried over from Judaism into early Christian
church architecture Church architecture refers to the architecture of buildings of churches, convents, seminaries etc. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian religion, partly by innovation and partly by borrowing other architectural styles as ...
. It was originally a raised platform, often large, with a lectern and seats for the clergy, from which lessons from the Scriptures were read and the sermon was delivered. In Western Christianity the bema developed over time into the sanctuary and chancel (or presbytery). The next development was the ''ambo'', from a Greek word meaning an elevation. This was originally a raised platform from which the
Epistle An epistle (; el, ἐπιστολή, ''epistolē,'' "letter") is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter. The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in ancient Egypt as par ...
and Gospel would be read, and was an option to be used as a preacher's platform for homilies, though there were others. Saint John Chrysostom (died 407) is recorded as preaching from the ambo, but this was probably uncommon at this date. In cathedrals early bishops seem often to have preached from their chair in the apse, echoing the position of magistrates in the secular basilicas whose general form most large early churches adopted. Often there were two ambos, one to each side, one used more as a platform on which the choir sang; sometimes the gospel was read, chanted or sung from one side and the epistle from the other. The location of the ambo within the church varied, with about the same range of places as modern pulpits. In ancient Syrian churches it was often placed in the centre of the nave (on both axes). Gradually the ambo came to resemble the modern pulpit in both form and function, though early examples in large churches are often large enough to accommodate several people. The steps up to the pulpit almost invariably approach it from the side or behind, and are often curved. The typical design of the Islamic minbar, where a straight flight of steps leads to the front of the pulpit, is very different. The Ambon of Henry II, an Imperial gift of 1014 to
Aachen Cathedral Aachen Cathedral (german: Aachener Dom) is a Roman Catholic church in Aachen, Germany and the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Aachen. One of the oldest cathedrals in Europe, it was constructed by order of Emperor Charlemagne, who was buri ...
, was originally installed centrally, but later moved to the side. It is richly decorated with sheets of gold, ivory, and gems, probably emulating Justinian's lost pulpit of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, of which a description by Paul the Silentiary survives. In churches where there is only one speaker's stand at the front of the church, it serves the functions of both lectern and pulpit and may be called the ambo, which is still the official Catholic term for the place the gospel is read from.


Catholicism

Preaching had always been important in Catholicism, but received a particular revival in the late Middle Ages with the two preaching orders of friars, the Franciscans and Dominicans, the former tending to an emotional and populist style and the latter more intellectual. Some preaching was done outdoors by touring preachers, but the orders, especially in Italy, soon began constructing large churches designed to hold congregations who came to hear star preachers. These featured large raised pulpits, typically some way down the nave, and sometimes in pairs on either side of the nave. These were both used for various purposes, whether different readings in services, accommodating singers or musicians at times, or for disputations between two speakers across the nave. Accordingly, they often have a larger platform area than later pulpits. For example, the St. Antony's Church, Ollur, pulpit is one of the tallest and largest relief sculptured wooden pulpit in India. In
Western Catholic , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Joh ...
Churches, the stand used for readings and homilies is formally called the ambo. Despite its name, this structure usually more closely resembles a lectern than the
ambon Ambon may refer to: Places * Ambon Island, an island in Indonesia ** Ambon, Maluku, a city on Ambon Island, the capital of Maluku province ** Governorate of Ambon, a colony of the Dutch East India Company from 1605 to 1796 * Ambon, Morbihan, a co ...
of the Eastern Catholic Churches. The readings are typically read from an ambo in the sanctuary, and depending on the arrangement of the church, the homily may be delivered from a raised pulpit where there is one. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) specifies:


Protestantism

It is central to Protestant belief that the clergy should preach sermons on Biblical passages to the congregation. To achieve this, some existing churches were adapted to place the clergyman in a position audible to all, which in larger churches usually places this in a visible location, and raised up. This had long been the practice in larger Catholic churches and many smaller ones, but was now made universal. In smaller churches the pulpit remained in the traditional east end of the church, where altars were usually located, but was often raised higher than before. In Protestant churches, the pulpit is considered one of the most important pieces of furniture in the church. In certain Presbyterian, Anglican and Methodist churches designed with a pulpit-centered chancel, the pulpit is located centrally in relation to the congregation and raised, with the
communion table Communion table or Lord's table are terms used by many Protestant churches—particularly from Reformed, Baptist and low church Anglican and Methodist bodies—for the table used for preparation of Holy Communion (a sacrament also called the '' ...
being in front of it. In such churches it may be where the
minister Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...
stands for most of the service. In the eighteenth century, double-decker and triple-decker pulpits were often introduced in English-speaking countries. The three levels of lecterns were intended to show the relative importance of the readings delivered there. The bottom tier was for the
parish clerk A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
, the middle was the reading desk for the minister, and the top tier was reserved for the delivery of the sermon. A good example of a three-decker pulpit is found in
St Andrew's Church, Slaidburn St Andrew's Church is in Church Street, Slaidburn, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Bowland, the archdeaconry of Craven, and the Diocese of Leeds. Its benefice is united with that of St George, D ...
, Lancashire. America's only surviving three-decker pulpit on the centerline of the church is at
Trinity Church, Newport, Rhode Island Trinity Church, on Queen Anne Square in Newport, Rhode Island, is a historic parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island. Founded in 1698, it is the oldest Episcopal parish in the state. In the mid 18th century, the church was home to ...
. In Lutheran churches, as well as many Anglican and Methodist churches designed with a divided chancel, the pulpit is located on the
Gospel side Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
of the chancel (from which the Gospel is read and the sermon is delivered) while a lectern is located on the Epistle side of the sanctuary, with the latter being used by readers to vocalize the other Scripture lessons. In many Evangelical Christian churches, the pulpit stands squarely in the centre of the platform, and is generally the largest piece of church furniture. This is to symbolise the proclamation of the Word of God as the central focus of the weekly
service of worship A church service (or a service of worship) is a formalized period of Christian communal worship, often held in a church building. It often but not exclusively occurs on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sa ...
. In more contemporary evangelical churches, the pulpit may be much smaller, if used at all, and may be carried out after the end of the song service. Often placed in the centre of the platform as well, the item of furniture may be used by both lay and ordained members, in effect doubling as a lectern. In the 1600s and 1700s, particularly in Lutheran churches in Germany and Scandinavia, the pulpit altar became a popular design in churches, combining the pulpit and the altar.


Presbyterian Protestant churches

Traditional Presbyterian Churches in Scotland and elsewhere often had a central pulpit, that is, the pulpit was located in the centre of the chancel in the position where most churches have the communion table or altar. The table could be situated in front of the pulpit or to the side, and sometimes was not in the chancel area at all. This declares the Bible to be the foundation of the faith. Furthermore, the "Centrality of the Word" implies that the reading and preaching of the Bible is the centrepiece of a service of worship, and thus takes priority over the sacraments. The central pulpit is intended to give visual representation of this idea. Since the late 19th century, the fashion in the Church of Scotland and most other Presbyterian denominations has been for a return to the pre- Reformation layout. Thus many buildings which once had a central pulpit now have a pulpit to the side. See for example
Skene Parish Church Skene Parish Church is a congregation of the Church of Scotland in Skene, part of the Presbytery of Gordon. The parish has two places of worship, Skene Church in Kirkton of Skene and Trinity Church in Westhill. The current minister is Rev. Stel ...
or
Old West Church, Boston, Massachusetts The Old West Church is a historic United Methodist Church at 131 Cambridge Street in the West End of Boston, Massachusetts. It was built in 1806 to designs by architect Asher Benjamin, and is considered one of his finest works. It is a monume ...
. This Presbyterian tradition is historically distinct from the tradition of the
ambon Ambon may refer to: Places * Ambon Island, an island in Indonesia ** Ambon, Maluku, a city on Ambon Island, the capital of Maluku province ** Governorate of Ambon, a colony of the Dutch East India Company from 1605 to 1796 * Ambon, Morbihan, a co ...
in Eastern Christianity.


Eastern Christianity

In modern
Eastern Christianity 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 ...
the area directly in front of the Beautiful Gates of the
iconostasis In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis ( gr, εἰκονοστάσιον) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand t ...
from which the Gospel is typically read is called the
ambon Ambon may refer to: Places * Ambon Island, an island in Indonesia ** Ambon, Maluku, a city on Ambon Island, the capital of Maluku province ** Governorate of Ambon, a colony of the Dutch East India Company from 1605 to 1796 * Ambon, Morbihan, a co ...
, and the entire low elevation above the level of the nave in front of the iconostasis is called the soleas. In larger churches, the ambo might be distinguished by three curved steps by which one may reach it from the nave. In addition many Orthodox churches, especially Greek-speaking churches, have pulpits for preaching from, which are similar to those in Western Christianity. In Eastern Orthodox Church cathedrals there is usually a low platform in the center of the nave called the ''episcopal ambo'' where the bishop is vested prior to the Divine Liturgy and where he is enthroned until the Little Entrance. If the bishop is serving in a simple parish church, an episcopal ambo is set temporarily in place. There are huge intricately carved wooden pulpits, some of the biggest in India and the world, in the Syrian churches of Kerala, India In addition to the ambo, many major churches in Greece and Cyprus also have a raised pulpit on the left side of the nave, usually attached to a column and raised several feet high. This is reached by a narrow flight of stairs. It is considered an architectural element that is symmetrical to the bishop's throne, which is located in an equivalent position on the right. Pulpit and throne are usually similar in construction, usually made of either sculpted stone or sculpted wood. This pulpit was used mostly for sermons and in order to improve audibility, before the advent of modern
public address A public address system (or PA system) is an electronic system comprising microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers, and related equipment. It increases the apparent volume (loudness) of a human voice, musical instrument, or other acoustic sound sou ...
systems in churches. Nowadays it is used rarely. Tradition dictates that it be used for the reading of the "12 Passion Gospels" during the Matins of Holy Friday, served late in the evening of Maundy Thursday. This is done to signify that the Passion of Christ is being "broadcast" for all to know. In the same spirit, a phonetic transcription of the relevant Gospel passages is provided in several common languages (e.g. English, French, Russian, Arabic etc.), so that they may be read from this pulpit at the same time.


Decoration

The exterior of a wood or stone pulpit may be decorated, especially with carved reliefs, and in the centuries after the Protestant Reformation these were sometimes, especially in Lutheran churches, one of the few areas of the church left with figurative decoration such as scenes from the
Life of Christ The life of Jesus in the New Testament is primarily outlined in the four canonical gospels, which includes his genealogy and Nativity of Jesus, nativity, Ministry of Jesus, public ministry, Passion of Jesus, passion, prophecy, Resurrection of ...
. Pulpit reliefs were especially important at the start of the Italian Renaissance, including those from the
Pisa Baptistry The Pisa Baptistery of St. John ( it, Battistero di San Giovanni) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical building in Pisa, Italy. Construction started in 1152 to replace an older baptistery, and when it was completed in 1363, it became the second bu ...
(1260) and
Siena Cathedral Pulpit The Siena Cathedral Pulpit is an octagonal structure in Siena Cathedral sculpted by Nicola Pisano and his assistants Arnolfo di Cambio, Lapo di Ricevuto, and Nicolas' son Giovanni Pisano between the fall of 1265 and the fall of 1268. The pulpit, wi ...
(1265–68) by Nicola Pisano, the Pulpit of Sant' Andrea, Pistoia by Giovanni Pisano (1301), and those by Donatello Elements of decoration shared between Catholic and Protestant denominations are the flowers that may be placed in front of the pulpit, and the
antependium An ''antependium'' (from Latin ''ante-'' and ''pendēre'' "to hang before"; pl: ''antependia''), also known as a ''parament'' or ''hanging'', or, when speaking specifically of the hanging for the altar, an altar frontal (Latin: ''pallium altaris ...
or "pulpit fall", a piece of cloth that covers the top of the book-stand in the pulpit and hangs down a short way at the front. It is often of a rich material and decorated with Christian symbols. Flags and banners used by church-related organizations may also stand on the floor around the pulpit. In the Reformed tradition, though avoiding figurative art, pulpits were increasingly important as a focus for the church, with the sanctuary now comparatively bare and de-emphasized, and were often larger and more elaborately decorated than in medieval churches.Mountford, 36 The bookstand of the pulpit (usually in medieval churches) or lectern (common in Anglican churches) may be formed in the shape of an eagle. The eagle symbolizes the gospels, and shows where these were read from at the time the eagle was placed there. When pulpits like those by the Pisani with eagles in stone on them were built the gospel reading was done from the pulpit. The spread of the sounding board offered artists decorating Catholic
Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
churches a space for spectacular features of various types on top of it. An artistic conceit largely confined to the 18th century Rococo churches of South Germany was to shape the body of the pulpit as a ship, to utilize the old metaphor of the church as a ship. This allowed for fantastical plaster or wood decoration of sails and rigging manned by angels above, and apostles hauling in nets below.


Gallery


Outdoor pulpits

SaintLoEgliseND 01.jpg, External gothic pulpit in Saint-Lô, France Wien - Stephansdom, Capistrankanzel (1).JPG, Outdoor pulpit of Giovanni da Capistrano, Vienna Austria St James Church, Piccadilly - Pulpit - geograph.org.uk - 834504.jpg, St James's Church, Piccadilly, in the centre of London, 1680s Scotch from chapel.JPG, Open-air pulpit in the forecourt of the Chapel at Scotch College, Melbourne Outdoor pulpit.jpg, Fr. Coughlin's outdoor pulpit at the Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak, Michigan. 19-22-122-museum.jpg,
John Wesley John Wesley (; 2 March 1791) was an English people, English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The soci ...
's Traveling Pulpit at the World Methodist Museum,
Lake Junaluska, NC Lake Junaluska is a census-designated place (CDP) in Haywood County, North Carolina, United States, and a manmade lake in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. Lake Junaluska is named after nearby ...


Modern pulpits

File:XianFlag.jpg, A modern pulpit on the chancel of a Presbyterian Church in California File:Jakobskirken Roskilde Denmark pulpit.jpg, A modern pulpit in Jakobskirken, Roskilde, Denmark. File:Advent Wreath on Christmas Eve (Broadway United Methodist Church).jpg, A pulpit in the chancel of a Methodist church in Ohio


Older pulpits

File:AachenerDomKanzel.jpg, Ambon of Henry II (1014),
Aachen Cathedral Aachen Cathedral (german: Aachener Dom) is a Roman Catholic church in Aachen, Germany and the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Aachen. One of the oldest cathedrals in Europe, it was constructed by order of Emperor Charlemagne, who was buri ...
File:Pulpit Parma Cathedral.jpg,
Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
pulpit of 1613 carved in wood by Paolo Froni Parma Cathedral File:Santa Maria in Valle Porclaneta - Ambon.jpg, Italian pulpit of 1150 or older File:Chaire église Saint-Étienne, Château-Renard -1.JPG, Gothic wood, France File:Bergatreute Pfarrkirche Kanzel 2.jpg, Late
Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
polychromed wood in a South German pilgrimage church File:Abbey Irsee 119.JPG, Pulpit in Irsee Abbey, Bavaria in the shape of a ship's prow File:Pulpit.JPG, A late 18th century pulpit in a small Catholic church in
Spielfeld Spielfeld ( Slovene: ''Špilje'') is a former municipality in the district of Leibnitz in Austrian state of Styria. Since the 2015 Styria municipal structural reform, it is part of the municipality Straß in Steiermark. It was an Austria-Slovenia b ...
,
Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...
, Austria. File:Enanger Pulpit.jpg, Enånger old church in
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
File:Kanzel Weissenregen.JPG, boat-shaped German Rococo pulpit File:Santa Fiora sante Flora e Lucilla 006.JPG, Terracotta
Pieve delle Sante Flora e Lucilla Sante Flora e Lucilla is a Roman Catholic parish church and former pieve in the ''comune'' of Santa Fiora, Province of Grosseto, region of Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about a ...
in
Santa Fiora Santa Fiora is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Grosseto, in the Italian region of Tuscany, located about southeast of Florence and about east of Grosseto. Santa Fiora borders the following municipalities: Abbadia San Salvatore, Arc ...
, Italy File:Pistoia chiesa san bartolomeo in pantano 005.JPG, Stone pulpit at Chiesa Bartolomeo in Pantano
Pistoia Pistoia (, is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about west and north of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typi ...
Italy File:St John the Baptist church pulpit.JPG, Pulpit at St. John the Baptist Cathedral, Yaroslavl, Russia (17th century) File:Worcester cathedral 019.JPG, Stone pulpit at Worcester cathedral England File:Tallinn-Puhavaimu-indre-prædikestol1.jpg, Wooden pulpit at the Church of the Holy Ghost in Tallinn in Estonia File:Porvoo Cathedral inside.jpg, Pulpit at the
Porvoo Cathedral Porvoo Cathedral ( fi, Porvoon tuomiokirkko; sv, Borgå domkyrka) is a cathedral of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland in Porvoo, Finland. It was built in the 15th century, although the oldest parts date from the 13th century. It is th ...
in Porvoo, Finland File:Belgium-6664 - Oak Pulpit (13967902729).jpg, Many of the most elaborate Catholic pulpits are from
Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
Belgium File:Pulpit at St Anne's Church in Kraków.jpg,
Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
Church of St. Anne in Kraków, Poland File:Preekstoel in de Sint Lambertus kerk Buren.JPG, A Calvinist 17th century pulpit of the Calvinist Dutch Reformed church in Buren, the Netherlands. File:Greifensee ZH - Gallus-Kapelle IMG 2432.jpg, ''
Gallus chapel Reformierte Kirche Greifensee (native German name, literally: Greifensee Reformed Church or commonly Gallus-Kapelle ''Im Städtli''), is a church and a listed heritage building in the municipality of Greifensee, Canton of Zürich, Switzerland. ...
'' in
Greifensee ZH Greifensee may refer to: *Greifensee (lake), lake in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland *Greifensee, Zürich Greifensee is a municipality in the district of Uster in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. History Early history Settlements in ...
, Switzerland File:Chaire Cathédrale d'Amiens 110608 01.jpg, Baroque pulpit in the Amiens Cathedral, France File:Collegiale-Thann-p1010102.jpg,
Saint-Thiébaut Church, Thann The Collégiale Saint-Thiébaut (Saint-Theobald collegiate church) in Thann, Haut-Rhin is one of the most ornate Gothic architecture, Gothic churches in the whole Rhine, Upper Rhenish region (Alsace, Baden, North-Western Switzerland, Palatinate (r ...
, France File:Monasterio de Santa María de Huerta, Santa María de Huerta Soria, España, 2015-12-28, DD 28-30 HDR.JPG, Monastery of Santa María de Huerta, Spain File:Rayonvert 2009.jpg, Strasbourg Cathedral, France File:Pulpit Old Ship Church.jpg, Old Ship Church, Hingham, Massachusetts File:Stiftskirche Niederhaslach Kanzel.jpg, Stone with wooden top in the Collégiale Saint-Florent, Niederhaslach, France File:Wineglasspulpit.jpg, Gothic-revival "wine glass" pulpit and sounding board from 1872 in
St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church The German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Charleston, South Carolina, was incorporated on December 3, 1840. Through usage and custom the Church is now known as St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church or St. Matthew's Lutheran Church and ...
, Charleston, South Carolina File:Westminster Cathedral pulpit 001.jpg, Neo-Byzantine in the Catholic Westminster Cathedral File:Interior of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Serbin, TX.jpg, Pulpit at balcony level, St. Peter Lutheran, Serbin, Texas File:St Helen, Great St Helens, London EC3 - Pulpit - geograph.org.uk - 1089605.jpg, The Jacobean pulpit of
St Helen's, Bishopsgate St Helen's Bishopsgate is an Anglican church in London. It is located in Great St Helen's, off Bishopsgate. It is the largest surviving parish church in the City of London. Several notable figures are buried there, and it contains more monuments ...
, which is now located perpendicular to the communion table


Notes


References

*Francis, Keith A., Gibson, William, et al., ''The Oxford Handbook of the British Sermon 1689–1901'', 2012 OUP, , 9780199583591
google books
*Milson, David William, ''Art and Architecture of the Synagogue in Late Antique Palestine: In The Shadow of the Church'', 2006, BRILL, , 9789047418719
google books
*Mountford, Roxanne, ''The Gendered Pulpit'', 2003, Southern Illinois University Press, , 9780809388400
google books
*Ryan, G. Thomas, ''The Sacristy Manual'', 2011, Liturgy Training Publications, , 9781616710422
google books
*Menachery, George, The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India, Vols. I (1982) Trichur, II (1973) Trichur, III (2009) Ollur, for many photographs and articles. *Menachery, George, The Indian Church History Classics, Vol. I, "The Nazranies", South Asia Research Assistance Services (SARAS), Ollur, 1998 for many photos and descriptions. {{Authority control Church architecture Christian religious objects Christian religious furniture *