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1910 New Catholic Dictionary

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Scranton, Pennsylvania, Diocese of

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Originally a piece of ornamental precious cloth suspended above the altar at the rear and known as the dossel or dorsal. A permanent or movable structure of metal, stone, or wood was later introduced instead of the cloth; the side facing the church is called the retable; the reverse, the counterretable. When richly ornamented with panels, statues, etc., the structure is called a reredos. Such altar decorations are also known as altar-pieces.