sacristy

American  

[sak-ri-stee] / ˈsæk rɪ sti /

noun

plural

sacristies

1. an apartment in or a building connected with a church or a religious house, in which the sacred vessels, vestments, etc., are kept.

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sacristy British  

/ ˈsækrɪstɪ /

noun

1. a room attached to a church or chapel where the sacred vessels, vestments, etc, are kept and where priests attire themselves

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Etymology

Origin of sacristy

1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin sacristia vestry, equivalent to sacrist ( a ) ( see sacristan) + -ia -y ³

Explanation

A sacristy is the room in a Catholic church where religious objects used during rituals like Holy Communion are stored. Things like a chalice, altar linens, and holy oils are kept in a sacristy. A sacristy is sometimes called a vestry, although this is more typically used for the room where priests change into their vestments, or the special robes they wear during church services. And while robes might be stored in a vestry, most other holy objects are kept in the sacristy. Orthodox and Catholic churches are most likely to have a sacristy. The word literally means "repository for sacred things," from the Latin root sacer, "sacred."

Example Sentences

In the 18th century the painting was moved to the sacristy, and in the 19th to the town hall.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

One sister recalled a time when she and another altar server accidentally spilled open a bag of already-consecrated Eucharist wafers as they were preparing for mass in the wood-paneled sacristy.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2024

“You could take the basilica to New York, but we are here,” he said in the sacristy, long after the day’s tourists had stopped wandering above.

From Washington Times • Jul. 20, 2023

The relics were stolen late at night on 1 June from the sacristy at Fécamp, north-east of the port of Le Havre.

From BBC • Jul. 12, 2022

Two nights before the first communion, Father Antonio Isabel closeted himself with him in the sacristy to hear his confession with the help of a dictionary of sins.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez