Altar rail
BARRIER OR LOW RAILS IN FRONT OF THE ALTAR OF A CHURCH
Communion rail; Communion Rail; Altar Rail; Communion-rail; Rail, Altar; Prayer Rail; Prayer Rails; Communion rails; Altar rails; Chancel rail
The altar rail (also known as a communion rail or chancel rail) is a low barrier, sometimes ornate and usually made of stone, wood or metal in some combination, delimiting the chancel or the sanctuary and altar in a church, from the nave and other parts that contain the congregation. Often a gate, or just a gap, at the centre divides the line into two parts.