A templon is a Byzantine architectural feature first appearing in Christian churches about the fifth century AD and is still found in some Eastern Christian churches. It eventually evolved into the modern iconostasis, still found in Orthodox churches today. It separates the laity in the nave from the priests preparing the sacraments at the altar. It is usually composed of carved wood or marble colonnettes supporting an architrave (a beam resting on top of columns). Three doors, a large central one and two smaller flanking ones, lead into the sanctuary. The templon did not originally obscure the view of the altar, but as time passed, icons were hung from the beams, curtains were placed in between the colonnettes, and the templon became more and more opaque. It is often covered with icons and can be very elaborate.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Templon

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1787: The text of the United States Constitution was finalized in Philadelphia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Constitution)

1809: The Treaty of Fredrikshamn concluded the Finnish War between Russia and Sweden, with Finland becoming an autonomous Grand Duchy under Czar Alexander I. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Fredrikshamn)

1894: The Imperial Japanese Navy and the Beiyang Fleet of Qing China clashed in the Battle of Yalu River, the largest naval engagement of the First Sino-Japanese War. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Yalu_River_%281894%29)

1908: Thomas Selfridge became the first passenger to die in a plane crash. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Selfridge)

1978: President Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel signed the Camp David Accords after twelve days of secret negotiations at Camp David (pictured). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_David_Accords_%281978%29)

_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:

"I've never seen anybody really find the answer — they think they have, so they stop thinking. But the job is to seek mystery, evoke mystery, plant a garden in which strange plants grow and mysteries bloom. The need for mystery is greater than the need for an answer." -- Ken Kesey (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ken_Kesey)