The kliros is the section of an Eastern Orthodox or Eastern Catholic church dedicated to the choir

Choir

A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...

. It refers both to the general space in which chanters

Cantor (church)

A cantor is the chief singer employed in a church with responsibilities for the ecclesiastical choir; also called the precentor....

 or singers assemble for the services, as well as to the actual music stand or shelves on which music is stored and read.

The name derives from the Greek word for "lot

Sortition

In politics, sortition is the selection of decision makers by lottery. The decision-makers are chosen as a random sample from a larger pool of candidates....

", since originally those who read and sang were chosen by lot.

Historically, in cathedral

Cathedral

A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...

s, monasteries and larger establishments such as chapels belonging to seminaries and major parishes, there would have been kliroi on both right and left sides of the church. The result is two choirs which sing antiphon

Antiphon

An antiphon in Christian music and ritual, is a "responsory" by a choir or congregation, usually in Gregorian chant, to a psalm or other text in a religious service or musical work....

ally, much as monastic and cathedral choirs of the Western Churches still have today. This was the practice in the Byzantine

Byzantine

Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...

 Imperial Cathedral of Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey...

, in Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

, whose historical liturgical practice became the standard for all churches following the Byzantine liturgical tradition

Byzantine Rite

The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called the Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan Rite is the liturgical rite used currently by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches, by the Greek Catholic Churches , and by the Protestant Ukrainian Lutheran Church...

.

This arrangement presupposes a number of singers on each side, adding up to a reasonably large total, and two highly-trained chanters skilled in leading the services. Unfortunately, highly-trained chanters are exceedingly rare today, and most churches have only the one kliros, often to the right of the iconostasis

Iconostasis

In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church...

. Nevertheless some patriarchal cathedrals, larger monastic communities, seminaries, and places with sufficient resources and singers, may continue to have two kliroi.

The Russian Orthodox Church

Russian Orthodox Church

The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...

 will often have, in addition to a kliros by the iconostasis, a choir loft above the great doors of the east entrance of the church.

In churches of the Greek and some parts of the Russian tradition, chanters and men who sing at the kliros will often wear a black riassa (outer-cassock). In the Armenian tradition, both men and women of the choir at the kliros will wear a stikharion (robe made out of fine material).

External links

• Nuns chanting on the kliros Russian Orthodox