The interior floor pattern, pew, pulpit and
choir design, and wall decorations of churches create an architecturally symbolic
space that is as important as the exterior of the church. In the case of Protestant
churches, the long-standing objection to and prohibition of "catholic" influences
has generated a traditional austerity in the internal space of churches. Except
in certain kinds of Episcopal churches, crucifixes are almost entirely absent
from the decorative symbolism of the pulpit, altar, or walls of churches. In addition,
plain crosses are also largely absent although a few denominations tolerated a
decorative cross on the altar or attached to the front of the pulpit stand.
A more important occurrence of cross symbolism, even in churches where there is a strong tradition of opposition to all forms of catholic symbolism, is in cruciform aisle pattern of most churches. Even in severely congregational and self-consciously puritanizing churches where ecclesiastical purity is symbolized in bare white walls devoid of all decoration or liturgical device, floor plans remain cruciform. The cruciform is typically defined by the long nave axis reaching from the front door to the altar or pulpit and by a secondary axis at right angles to the main axis and intersecting it just in front of the pulpit. These axis lines generally define the center line of the main aisle and secondary aisle at the front. On occasion the cruciform is of the "T" or Tau type rather than the traditional cruciform where the upright axis proceeds above the crossarm. In this way, through the simple aisle pattern, an older element of "catholic" symbolism is preserved.
Many older rural churches continue to maintain a traditional cruciform aisle pattern even though the "Amen Corner" is no longer occupied by deacons or elders. [Cut in Amen Corner from Cades Cove church]
Secondary symbolic features concern the location of the pulpit. In denominations with a strong "preaching" tradition, the pulpit tends to be located along the main or center axis at the front of the church and is elevated on a stage or platform. In churches using this floor plan symbolism, the "table" NOT altar is located directly in front of the pulpit, but at floor level. The term "altar" is viewed by some denominations as a "catholic" influence and is deliberately avoided by the insistent use of the term "table" to refer to the stand for the communion elements.
In some denominations which echo the "split chancel" of the older Christian tradition, the pulpit is located to one side of the center axis and a reading stand may be located symmetrically to the other side of the center axis. Where there is a "split chancel" communion is usually celebrated from the "high altar" at the head of the center axis. In the Episcopal church recent practice in some individual churches has moved the "high altar" to the center axis intersection or (as in the case of All Saints' in Sewanee) has substituted a secondary "crossing" altar for the older traditional altar.
In some older rural churches, the pews may be filled with "women and children" on one side, "men" on the other. This gender-referenced seating is not so much the outcome of theological views of women as it is a result of how the adults file into church immediately after Sunday School. In some churches the adult Sunday School is gender segregated and the classes file directly from their Sunday School rooms at the back of the church into the seats on the same side as their Sunday School room.
A final interior architectural feature to look for is the presence of a baptismal pool built into the church above and behind the center aisle pulpit. These pools are used for full immersion baptisms. Although typically associated with Baptist churches, these baptismal pools can sometimes be found in other denominational churches. Often this feature is indicated by a picture showing Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist; typically the picture will display a dove immediately above the head of Jesus symbolizing the descent of the Holy Spirit into Him.
Sampler of Interiors of Churches