iconostasis

In Byzantine architecture and the Orthodox Church, a screen separating the sanctuary (containing the altar) from the congregation in the nave of the church. It is pierced by three doors, and, since the 14th–15th centuries, serves as a stand for icons, large religious pictures of Jesus, Mary, and the apostles and saints. A row of smaller icons at the top depicts the main feasts of the church year. In the Eastern Orthodox Church the iconostasis is ornate and completely shuts off the sanctuary from the nave. Only priests may enter the sanctuary.

The central doors of the iconostasis are known as the ‘Royal Doors’. An icon on one side of the doors depicts the incarnation of Jesus, while on the other side an icon shows the Parousia (Jesus' second coming in glory).