Sanctuary

A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a safe place for people, such as a political sanctuary; and non-human sanctuary, such as an animal or plant sanctuary.

Religious sanctuary

Sanctuary is a word derived from the Latin sanctuarium, which is, like most words ending in -arium, a container for keeping something in—in this case holy things or perhaps cherished people (sanctae/sancti). The meaning was extended to places of holiness or safety. Its origin is the principle of independence and immunity of religious orders from "temporal" powers.

In many religious buildings sanctuary has a specific meaning, covering part of the interior.

Sanctuary as area around the altar

In many Western Christian traditions including Roman Catholic, Evangelical-Lutheran, and Anglican churches, the area around the altar is called the sanctuary. The architectural term chancel is synonymous with the sanctuary, and either term may be used. It is considered holy because of the belief in the physical presence of God in the Eucharist, both during the Mass and for those Christian denominations that practice eucharistic reservation, in the church tabernacle at other times.