 ANTIMINSION - (Sl. Antimins) A combined Greek-Latin word meaning in place of a table. It is a silk or linen cloth with a sketch of the Entombment of Christ. A part of a saint's relic is sewn into it. It is consecrated by a bishop and kept on the "prestol" (altar) at all times to represent the tomb of our Lord or the tombs of the holy martyrs, upon which the Holy Eucharist can be celebrated in remembrance of His suffering, death and resurrection. The Antiminsion (or Corporal) is absolutely necessary for the celebration of Divine Liturgy. Without it a priest cannot celebrate Divine Liturgy. It is folded into a cloth called eiliton, and unfolded at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Faithful.
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