Portable altar

Portable altars have been dated by one scholar back to Byzantine and Roman times, and even to Greek origins. In the 13th century they were used in cases where there was no consecrated altar for celebration of the Eucharist or where they were needed for visits to the sick. Large rectangular boxes, often supported on folding legs that provided the height needed for a priest to administer the Sacraments, were used to keep the pieces and the contents of the portable altar together, and to facilitate their assembly.
This portable altar, like all the others, is composed of a wooden box (with no exterior decoration or painting). It opens to create a space occupied by sacred texts that could be unfolded beyond the edge of the lid, which has two special brackets to support lights, replacing the more usual branched candlesticks. Inside, another section unfolds to make an altar top, with an altar stone in the centre that is large enough for celebration of the Eucharist. The box also has a compartmented drawer used to hold the various liturgical utensils and other appurtenances, such as the missal stand.