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; refuge; protection. These laws, whoever made them, bestowed on temples the privelege of sanctuary. Milton . These admirable works of painting were made fuel for the fire; but some relics of it took sanctuary under ground, and escaped the common destiny. Dryden. Wildlife sanctuary, a tract of land set aside by law for…

The innermost sanctuary or shrine in ancient temples, whence oracles were given. Hence: A private chamber; a sanctum.

s divided, as in some Spanish churches, that division of it which is the farther from the sanctuary.

pported the mercy seat with its golden cherubs, and occupied the most sacred place in the sanctuary. In it Moses placed the two tables of stone containing the ten commandments. Called also the Ark of the Covenant.

A sanctuary or place of refuge and protection, where criminals and debtors found shelter, and from which they could not be forcibly taken without sacrilege. So sacred was the church to some, that it had the right of an asylum or sanctuary. Ayliffe.

bmission to a charge or sentence. Blackstone. Declinatory plea (O. Eng. Law), the plea of sanctuary or of benefit of clergy, before trial or conviction; -- now abolished.

ly hateful; very odious; deserving abhorrence; as, detestable vices. Thou hast defiled my sanctuary will all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations. Ezek. v. 11.

n to which a particular privilege extends; the limits of an immunity; hence, an asylum or sanctuary. Churches and mobasteries in Spain are franchises for criminals. London Encyc.

A seat in churches near the altar, to which offenders formerly fled for sanctuary. [Written variously fridstool, freedstool, etc.] [Obs.]

g wound up. -- Going forth. (Script.) (a) Outlet; way of exit. "Every going forth of the sanctuary." Ezek. xliv. 5. (b) A limit; a border. "The going forth thereof shall be from the south to Kadesh-barnea." Num. xxxiv. 4. -- Going out, or Goings out. (Script.) (a) The utmost extremity or limit. "The border shall go d…

s an effect from a cause; to become; as, to grow pale. For his mind Had grown Suspicion's sanctuary. Byron.

The central chapel of the three forming the sanctuary of a Coptic church. It contains the high altar, and is usually closed by an embroidered curtain.

Holiness; sanctity; sacred oath; sacred things; sanctuary; -- used chiefly in oaths. [Archaic] So God me help and halidom. Piers Plowman. By my halidom, I was fast asleep. Shak.

The sanctuary, or Most Holy place in the temple; also, the temple itself. 1 Kings vi. 19. Siloa's brook, that flow'd Fast by the oracle of God. Milton.

The kiss of peace; also, the embrace in the sanctuary now substituted for it at High Mass in Roman Catholic churches.

Hidden things or secrets; privacy; sanctuary; as, the sacred penetralia of the home.

privilege or exemption from evil or danger; to exempt; to deliver. He took this place for sanctuary, And it shall privilege him from your hands. Shak.

of what is sacred; desecration; as, the profanation of the Sabbath; the profanation of a sanctuary; the profanation of the name of God.

m danger, or from distress or calamity; a stronghold which protects by its strength, or a sanctuary which secures safety by its sacredness; a place inaccessible to an enemy. The high hills are a refuger the wild goats. Ps. civ. 18. The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed. Ps. ix. 9.

To go; to betake one's self; to resort; ass, to repair to sanctuary for safety. Chaucer. Go, mount the winds, and to the shades repair. Pope.