altar rail

marble and alabaster altar rail, sanctuary of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Toxteth, Liverpool, England; photographed on 9 September 2017 by Rodhullandemu; swiped from Wikimedia CommonsAlso known as

  • communion rail

Article

A rail separating the sanctuary from the body of the church. It is of carved wood, metal, marble, or other precious material, about two and a half feet high.

MLA Citation

  • “altar rail”. New Catholic Dictionary. CatholicSaints.Info. 26 October 2018. Web. 19 November 2018. <>