All That You Need to Know About the History of Church and Chairs for the Church

1. http://churchfurnitureaustralia.com.au/ All That You Need to Know About the History of Church and Chairs for the Church The church seats have a long history behind them. Do you know that? Well, here it is! For centuries, our churches and cathedrals were completely empty: no chairs for the church, no bench on the horizon. If the choir - with its stalls - was reserved for clerics or religious, the nave was entirely open to the people who came to find refuge there, pray, enjoy the freshness and rest there. It was not uncommon for people to dance and feast there, especially during major festivals. In the Middle Ages, places of worship were also placing of life. During religious services, the faithful, some of whom were accompanied by their dogs, stood or kneeled. It was always possible to move around the nave, even during celebrations, to sit or lie down against a pillar. Thanks to the absence of church seats!

2. http://churchfurnitureaustralia.com.au/ From the Counter-Reformation, in the 16th century, with the development of sermons which became longer and longer, wooden benches or chairs were made available to the faithful, for a certain amount of money. The rental amount, increased during the solemn masses, is collected by the chair maker or the chair maker. Used until then for private use, the prie-Dieu is generalized to allow the faithful to kneel more comfortably during the consecration or the adorations. These pieces of furniture gradually become fixed while the product of their rental or adjudication constitutes the leading resource of the factories, bodies responsible for the administration of the property of the parish community. The use of chairs became widespread from 1870, in the same layout as that which prevails today: alignment of rows of church seats all along the nave and aisles. At that time, the way in which the faithful were placed considered the social hierarchy, the first rows being occupied by those who rented their place at a higher price. The notables of the parish often owned their chairs with prie- Dieu, on which they had their names engraved on metal plates (generally copper) or enamelled, screwed to the file. The parishioners of the ranks behind did not kneel or did so on the ground, the prie-Dieu being thus a true marker of the social geography of the parish and the degree of loyalty, between those who leaned, face in hands, and those who just crossed their arms. The liturgical renewal movement, initiated in the 1950s and completed by Vatican Council II, gradually saw the abandonment of the prie-dieu. The question which then arises is no longer that of the individual comfort of the faithful and their location in the church, but that of the deep meaning of the ceremony. Mass is no longer a spectacle which one "attends", by reserving one's place, but becomes a common action in which everyone is invited to participate fully. To allow a better regrouping of this assembly, certain parishes reduced the number of chairs for the church, by leaving a space in front (to allow the children to sit on carpets for example) or by bringing them closer to the choir to invite the faithful to surround the altar.