CATHEDRAL

(Yunanca köken — orijinale bakınız.) The principal church of a diocese, in which is the throne of the bishop. The term cathedra was originally applied to the seats in which the bishop and presbyters sate in their a emblies, which were held in the rooms in which the worship of the first Christians was also performed before they had liberty to erect temples for that purpose. In after times the choir of the cathedral church was made to terminate in a semicircular or polygonal apsis; and in the rece thus formed were placed the throne of the bishop in the centre, and seats of an inferior cla for presbyters. In modern cathedrals the bishop's throne is m the choir, and generally on the south side. {Bingham, viii. 6. 10.) CATHETA and [s. 215]