SANCTUARY. As etymology suggests, a sanctuary is a sacred place, a place set apart from the space of ordinary existence (LL, sanctuarium, from sanctus, "sacred, holy," by analogy with sacrarium, "shrine," from sacer). Thus,...

in religion, a sacred place, set apart from the profane, ordinary world. Originally, sanctuaries were natural locations, such as groves or hills, where the divine or sacred was believed to be especially present. The concept was later extended to...

The central place of Jewish worship. The shrines at *Shiloh and Bethel were described as sanctuaries when they contained the *Ark of the Covenant. The *Holy of Holies in the *Temple in *Jerusalem was also seen as a sanctuary. Today the term is used to...

A place of refuge (See also *CITIES OF...

Sanctuary has multiple meanings. A sanctuary is the consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar. An animal sanctuary is a place where animals live and are protected. In modern parlance the term is used to mean a place of...