Tabernacles change through time but have always been where God dwells (Photos)

The tabernacle has been a place for people to encounter the real presence of God as far back as Moses. 

In the Old Testament, the tabernacle was a portable sanctuary or tent constructed as God’s dwelling and as a place of worship for the Hebrew tribes during the period of wandering the desert before their arrival to the Promised Land.  

The current day tabernacle, located in cathedrals and most churches, is where the consecrated Body of Christ is reserved. Catholics believe that the bread and wine is changed by the Holy Spirit into the body and blood of Jesus Christ during the Liturgy of the Eucharist; however, only the body of Christ is permitted to be reserved. 

The word tabernacle comes from tabernaculum meaning tent or box, said Father Thomas Dente, liturgist and director of the Archdiocese of Newark’s Worship Office. 

The tabernacle has evolved from the early Church’s need for a simple receptacle on the altar to hold the consecrated Eucharist for those who could not make it to Mass to the elaborate receptacles now set aside from the altar where the eternal light of Christ burns and adoration of the Eucharist occurs. The changes that came with Vatican II when the altar was moved away from the wall also affected the placement of the tabernacle.  

Father Dente, who received his certificate of Sacred Art and Architecture at St. Johns’ University in 2021 and aids parishes in renovations, spoke about the tabernacle recently to priests at the Southwest Liturgical Conference. The conference promotes the liturgy as the heart of Christian life. 

Father Dente explained that in early Christian centuries, a small box or capsa was kept on the altar to hold the consecrated Eucharist. The pyx was a small box used to transport the Eucharist for the sick and dying.  

During the 4th to 8th centuries, the use of tabernacles and their placement in the Church differed by region, said Father Dente. Some churches used niches or cabinets, others used cone or dove-shaped boxes. The boxes were movable and could be placed on the altar, in the sacristy, or hung suspended near the altar.  

It was during the 11th century that churches began to make tabernacles permanent structures. Security concerns arose in the 12th century and the Church decreed that the tabernacles be kept locked as they are today. 

“As people understood the Eucharist better and more deeply as the real presence of Christ, and theologies came about to help explain transubstantiation it becomes something that some nefarious folks might want to steal,” Father Dente said. Therefore, the councils of this time declare that tabernacles should be locked. 

In the 1500s, tabernacles could be placed on the altar, which at the time were often located against the back wall of the sanctuary. And by the mid-1800s, sacrament houses and suspended pyxes for housing the consecrated Eucharist were completely banned. The tabernacle’s permanent home was located on the altar along the back wall of the sanctuary. 

“So, the tabernacle was transformed from an independent vessel to a facet of Church architecture,” Father Dente said. 

The placement of the tabernacle changed once again with the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council. To create more inclusive participation in the rites, priests began facing worshipers during the Liturgy of the Eucharist. New “altar tables” accessible on all sides were placed in front of the old altars that held the tabernacles in the center. The tabernacle could no longer be placed on the altar where it obscured the view of the people and conflicted with the action of the consecration taking place on the altar during Mass with the reservation of the Blessed Sacrament, which rightfully should be kept separate from the altar, Father Dente said. 

The altar table is used for the Liturgy of the Eucharist and is a symbol of Christ. It’s a place of action where kneeling, kissing, incensing, singing and consecration take place. There’s movement around it. The tabernacle and its space on the other hand hold the body of Christ and require silence and stillness around it due to its reflective nature, Father Dente said.  

“The altar speaks to the senses while the tabernacle speaks to the heart,” Father Dente said. 

Vatican II changes left church leaders in need of guidance about what to do with their tabernacles. The primary reason for the reservation of the Eucharist is the administration to the dying and to the sick. But there is also the adoration of Jesus present in the Eucharist, which calls for a private meditative space. 

Some churches with larger sanctuaries were able to add an altar table and keep the tabernacle on the old altar. Other churches moved the tabernacle to sacramental chapels or alcoves off to the side of the altar table but still accessible to the parishioners to adore, pray, and reflect. 

Today, Canon Law says the tabernacle and its space should be “distinguished, conspicuous, beautifully decorated, and suitable for prayer.” The tabernacle should also be immobile, made of solid material, and remain locked. 

Ultimately the placement of the tabernacle is decided by three entities: the bishops, local diocesan policy, and Church documents, said Father Dente. 

Father Dente suggests that whenever renovations are done within a sacred space, parishioners be included in the process so they do not show up at Mass one day and find the tabernacle moved. Doing work to a tabernacle or altar is always a good time to catechize the faithful on the meaning of the Eucharist. He says that the atmosphere — the design and artwork — can define the space and create a spirit of reverence for a holy place. 

In his presentation, Father Dente showed an example of a contemporary design for a tabernacle and altar in the current plans for the new church in Franklin Lakes, N.J. It shows a centrally located Blessed Sacrament area near the back wall of the church visible to all, while the altar is centrally located in the midst of the assembly. This keeps both the altar and tabernacle central while separating them by space and design so each can be the focus whether celebrating the liturgy of the Eucharist or spending quiet time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.  

The design, artwork, and use of space around the tabernacle and altar are as important as the furnishings themselves, Father Dente noted. In the end, the Eucharist is given to us in remembrance of the sacrifice of Christ so we can encounter the risen Lord, whether we come to celebrate a great Liturgy of the Eucharist or pray quietly before the Blessed Sacrament. 

Featured image: Courtesy Cathopic

Click through the photos below to see a slideshow on tabernacles.