altar light (altarlit)

A light placed upon or near an altar, and having a symbolical meaning. In the Roman Catholic Church the lights are often set upon the altar itself; in the Church of England they always stand on an altar-ledge behind or beside the altar. altarpiece (al'tär-pēs), n. A decorative screen, retable, or reredos placed behind an altar, considered especially as a work of art. In churches of the Renai ance period it is more usually a painting of a sacred subject, but in those of the early middle ages it is frequently of embo ed silver or of rich gold and enameled work set with jewels, as the famous Pala d'Oro of St. Mark's in Venice. As the altar stood free in the choir, and the altar - piece was to be seen from behind as well as from before, both sides were to be covered with painting. C. E. Norton, Church-building in Middle Ages, p. 142.