Definition of "narthex" []

• A portico or lobby of an early Christian or Byzantine church or basilica, originally separated from the nave by a railing or screen. (noun)
• An entrance hall leading to the nave of a church. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "A narthex is not a gathering space or overflow social hall; it is a place of transition from world outside to the heavenly reality within."
• "While it is being called a narthex, that is precisely the one thing which the structure is not."
• "The extension to the cathedral is being described as a narthex; it is, however, a large, three-story octagonal structure vaguely reminiscent of a baptistery and will include a basement crypt for the burial of archbishops and a top-story performance space seating 100 people; in between will be a gathering space for worshippers before and after mass."