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- The part of a Christian church where the
- choir and clergy sit, formerly kept separate
- from the nave. The term originated in the
- early Middle Ages, when chancels were raised
- above the level of the nave, from which they
- were separated by a rood screen, a pierced
- partition bearing the image of the
- Crucifixion. The chancel has usually been
- regarded as the preserve and responsibility
- of the clergy, while the upkeep and repair of
- the nave was left to the parishioners.
-