Location of the altar after the liturgical reform of the 2nd Vatican Council using the example of churches in Prague
Abstract
The most visible change in the Roman Catholic liturgy of the 2nd Vatican Council (1962-1965) became the transition from worship towards the east ("ad orientem") to a celebration towards the people ("versus populum"). Even though this change was not dictated by any official document of the Catholic Church (only recommended), it caused major changes in church interiors.
Emphasis is therefore placed on an analysis of church documents relating to the location and orientation of the altars. A selection of Prague churches is subsequently interpreted against this backdrop.
The article concludes that there does not exist a single method by which to address current liturgical requirements in the interiors of historic buildings. The use of the new altar, its furnishings, and its removal depended on the decision of the church administrator, hence the liturgical commission of the respective diocese.
The celebration versus populum or ad orient, however, is not a matter of principle, but liturgical appropriateness and sensitivity to the spatial disposition of the church.