Corporal (liturgy)

The corporal ( from the Latin corpus " body body" ) is a starched, square, white linen cloth at Eucharistic celebrations of the tradition of the Western Church (Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran) is placed on the altar, the paten or paten and the chalice it deliver. In the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite the Zelebrationshostie in the conversion is placed directly on the corporal, which is understood as the grave cloth of Christ.

The corporal is the oldest vestments. In the Byzantine liturgy tradition the Iliton corresponds to the corporal. It is stored in the bursa, a wallet -like cloth bag in each liturgical color. The corporal is to prevent lost in the breaking of communion wafers and the purification of the chalice particles. For this reason, it may be placed and folded in one direction only, so that no particles can fall to the ground.

In the Roman liturgy the corporal was originally called palla corporalis the topmost altar-cloth, on which put the Eucharist not only, but with which they were covered. From the 11th century, from the much smaller corporals and the Palla developed as a cover of the chalice.

• Parament
• Eucharist