ALTAR LIGHTS

Altar Lights: translation

put on

Lights to illumine the church, its sanctuary, and the altar, which must be lit during the liturgy and other prayers, even if services are held in daylight.

Inside the sanctuary two candle lamps must remain constantly lit: one in the eastern niche, and the other hanging down from the dome above the altar. During liturgical prayers two large candles are placed on candlesticks, one to the north and the other to the south of the altar.

Two wooden or metallic altar-candlesticks are either sides of the altar, and not upon it.

They refer to the two angels who were in the grave of our Lord.

Altar Lights: translation

   Two candles in candlesticks placed on the retable of the Altar and lighted at the celebration of the Holy Eucharist; frequently called Eucharistic Lights. They are used to symbolize our Lord as the Light of the world in His two Natures, Human and Divine. The symbolical use of lighted tapers in Divine Service is of primitive antiquity and their use is being generally restored in both the English and American branches of the Church. This is evidenced by the table in the Tourist's Church Guide for 1898, in which it appears that in 1882 there were 581 churches in which the Altar Lights were used, while in 1898 the number had increased to 4,334.

   See Lights on the Altar.