The space around the altar in a church, often enclosed, for use by the clergy and the choir. In medieval cathedrals the chancel was usually enclosed or blocked off from the nave by an altar screen.
The area surrounding the altar of a Christian church; the sanctuary or piscina. Sometimes specifically a drain directly to the earth, perhaps including reference to a basin, for washing vessels from consecration.
In Ancient Rome, a place where sacred objects were kept, either in a temple (the adytum) or in a house (holding the penates)
The complex sacrum of any bird.