fenestella

British  

/ ˌfɛnɪˈstɛlə /

noun

1. RC Church a small aperture in the front of an altar, containing relics

2. ecclesiast a niche in the side wall of a chancel, in which the credence or piscina are set

3. architect a small window or an opening in a wall

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Etymology

Origin of fenestella

C18: from Latin: a little window, from fenestra window

Example Sentences

Abbie now wishes they’d swiped some of those books on the way out, before the fenestella exploded.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2015

I had the privilege of examining the actual grave December 1, 1891, lowering myself from the fenestella under the altar.

From Pagan and Christian Rome by Lanciani, Rodolfo Amedeo

Ab eadem parte epistolae ... ampullae vitreae vini et aquae, cum pelvicula et manutergio mundo in fenestella, seu in parva mensa ad haec praeparata.

From The Irish Ecclesiastical Record, Volume 1, November 1864 by

Here we see the fenestella confessionis, by means of which pilgrims were allowed to behold and touch the venerable grave.

From Pagan and Christian Rome by Lanciani, Rodolfo Amedeo

In Rothwell Church, Northamptonshire, on the south side of the chancel, are the vestiges of a triple piscina; the fenestella has been destroyed, but the three basins with their drains remain.

From The Principles of Gothic Ecclesiastical Architecture, Elucidated by Question and Answer, 4th ed. by Bloxam, Matthew Holbeche