In films and TV mini-series, Catholic marriages, whether in the centuries before or soon after the Reformation, are pictured taking place before the altar in the nave of the church or cathedral. Yet I always understood that marriages took place at the church door, and only afterwards did the group enter the church to celebrate the mass. Were there different customs in England and on the Continent, and for different classes in society?
Your answer:
Marriage services, in English tradition, have always been in two parts: taking of vows followed by a blessing and (officially until 1662) a eucharist. The taking of vows took place outside the church door until 1549 and thereafter in the nave. The blessing was done near the altar or communion table. So a historical reconstruction ought to show vows being exchanged where people can hear them: at the church door or in the nave, and only a blessing or receiving of communion at the altar.
(Professor) Nicholas Orme
Department of History, University of Exeter
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