The antimins (from the
Greek , ''Antimension'': "instead of the table"), is one of the most important furnishings of the
altar in many
Eastern Christian liturgical traditions. It is a rectangular piece of cloth of either linen or silk, typically decorated with representations of the
Descent of Christ from the Cross, the
Four Evangelists, and inscriptions related to the
Passion. A small
relic
In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...
of a
martyr is sewn into it. In the
Western Rite, the
altar stone, serves a similar function.
It is not permitted to celebrate the
Divine Liturgy without an antimins. The antimins is kept folded in the centre of the
Holy Table (altar) and is unfolded only during the
Divine Liturgy at the dismissal of the catechumens the end of the Liturgy, the antimins is folded in thirds, and then in thirds again, so that when it is unfolded the creases form a cross (see photo, right). When folded, the antimins sits in the centre of another, slightly larger cloth called the ''eileton'' (Greek: {{lang, grc, Εἰλητόν; Slavonic: ''Ilitón'')—similar to the
Western corporal, except it is usually red in colour—which is then folded around it in the same manner (3 x 3), encasing it completely. A flattened natural sponge is also kept inside the antimins, which is used to collect any crumbs which might fall onto the Holy Table. When the antimins and eileton are folded, the
Gospel Book is laid on top of them.
The antimins is
consecrated
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...
and signed by a
bishop and, together with the
chrism, remains the property of the bishop, and these are the means by which a bishop indicates his permission for the
Holy Mysteries
Sacred mysteries are the areas of supernatural phenomena associated with a divinity or a religious belief and praxis. Sacred mysteries may be either:
# Religious beliefs, rituals or practices which are kept secret from the uninitiated.
# Beliefs ...
to be celebrated in his absence. It is, in effect, a church's licence to hold divine services; were a bishop to withdraw his permission to serve the Mysteries, he would do so by taking the antimins and chrism back. Whenever a bishop visits a church or monastery under his jurisdiction, he enters the
altar (sanctuary) and inspects the antimins to be sure that it has been properly cared for, and that it is in fact the one that he issued.
Only a bishop, priest, or deacon is allowed to touch an antimins, and because it is a consecrated object, they should be vested when they do so—a deacon should be fully vested and a priest should vest in at least the
epitrachil (and, in the Russian tradition,
epimanikia).

The antimins may also function as a substitute altar, in that a priest may celebrate the Eucharist on it in the absence of a properly consecrated altar. In emergencies, war and persecution, the antimins thus serves a very important pastoral need. Formerly if the priest celebrated at a consecrated altar, the sacred elements were placed only on the eileton, but in current practice the priest always uses the antimins even on a consecrated altar that has relics sealed in it.
At the Divine Liturgy, during the
Ektenias (Litanies) that precede the
Great Entrance, the eileton is opened fully and the antimins is opened two-thirds of the way, leaving the top portion folded. Then, during the Ektenia of the
Catechumens, when the
deacon says, "That He (God) may reveal unto them (the catechumens) the Gospel of righteousness," the priest unfolds the last portion of the antimins, revealing the mystery of Christ's death and resurrection. After the Entrance, the
chalice and
diskos are placed on the antimins and the Gifts (bread and wine) are consecrated. The antimins remains unfolded until after all have received
Holy Communion
The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted ...
and the chalice and diskos are taken back to the
Prothesis (Table of Oblation). The deacon (or, if there is no deacon, the priest) must very carefully inspect the antimins to be sure there are no crumbs left on it, and then it is folded up, the eileton is folded, and the Gospel Book placed on top of it.
Oriental Orthodox practice
A wooden tablet, the
''ţablîtho'', is the liturgical equivalent of the antimins in the churches of
Syriac tradition. However, it is no longer used by the
Antiochian Orthodox Church (which follows the liturgical practice of Constantinople, and thus uses the antimins) or the
Assyrian Church of the East
The Assyrian Church of the East,, ar, كنيسة المشرق الآشورية sometimes called Church of the East, officially the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East,; ar, كنيسة المشرق الآشورية الرسول� ...
and
Chaldean Catholic Church
, native_name_lang = syc
, image = Assyrian Church.png
, imagewidth = 200px
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows Baghdad, Iraq
, abbreviation =
, type ...
.
In the Ethiopian
Tawahedo Church {{Short description, Collective term for Oriental Orthodox Churches in Eritrea and Ethiopia
Orthodox Tewahedo refers to two Oriental Orthodox Christian denominations with shared beliefs, liturgy, and history. The Orthodox Tewahedo biblical canon is ...
, the
''tâbot'' is functionally similar to the tablitho. However, this word is also used in the
Ge'ez language to describe the
Ark of the Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant,; Ge'ez: also known as the Ark of the Testimony or the Ark of God, is an alleged artifact believed to be the most sacred relic of the Israelites, which is described as a wooden chest, covered in pure gold, with an e ...
. The Ark is symbolically represented by the ''manbara tâbôt'' ('throne of the Ark'), a casket that sits on the altar.
In the Coptic Orthodox church, a wooden tablet, the maqta‘ or al-lawh al-muqaddas, is the liturgical equivalent of the antimins in contemporary usage. Usually it is decorated with a cross and bears letters in Coptic which signify "Jesus Christ Son of God" in the four squares between the arms of the cross.
The Armenian Orthodox tradition also has the antimins, known as ''gorbura''.
See also
*
Consecration of an Antimins
*
Thabilitho
*
Tabot
*
Altar stone
*
Corporal (liturgy)
External links
Antimensiumarticle in the
Catholic EncyclopediaCoptic Antimensiumarticle in the
Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia Claremont may refer to:
Places Australia
*Claremont, Ipswich, a heritage-listed house in Queensland
* Claremont, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart
* Claremont, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth
** Claremont Football Club, West Australian Footba ...
Eucharistic objects
Christian religious objects
Altars
Eastern Christian liturgical objects