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chemistry

Parclose screen

Parclose screen is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Parclose screen rather than just read about it. In short: A parclose screen is a screen or railing used to enclose or separate-off a chantry chapel, tomb or manorial chapel, from public areas of a church, for example from the nave or chancel. It should be distinguished from the chancel screen which separates the chancel from the nave, in order to restrict access to the former to clerics and other select persons.

Parclose screen — main illustration
Parclose screen — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Parclose screen belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Parclose screen to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Parclose screen from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A parclose screen is a screen or railing used to enclose or separate-off a chantry chapel, tomb or manorial chapel, from public areas of a church, for example from the nave or chancel. It should be distinguished from the chancel screen which separates the chancel from the nave, in order to restrict access to the former to clerics and other select persons.

Location As many chantry chapels and manorial chapels were situated at the east end (closest to the holy city of Jerusalem) of the north or south aisles, next to the chancel, frequently they lay within the area enclosed by the chancel screen.

Function The parclose screen is designed to restrict physical access to those unauthorised to enter, yet still to allow a good view into the restricted area and the entry of sunlight, and also, most importantly, to allow for communication with the high altar in the chancel during the elevation of the host at mass. This is usually achieved by the use of tracery to form the screen. Where a solid masonry wall is used instead of a screen, a hagioscope or squint is required to serve the same purpose. Parclose screens are made of stone or wood and are often decoratively carved, frequently featuring the coats of arms of the family concerned.

Etymology The word derives from the French noun parclose (f), from the Latin verb claudo, "to close" plus the preposition per, "through, along, over".

History In England, the use of parclose screens was largely discontinued in the 16th century after the Reformation, and after the Dissolution of the Monasteries when chantries were dissolved. There was therefore no further need to have several altars in the same church, each serving a separate private chantry chapel. The concept of the manorial chapel was also discontinued a few centuries after, when burials inside churches and manorial chapels were discontinued. The manorial pew, not screened-off from the congregation, replaced the screened-off manorial chapel. Many fine examples of mediaeval parclose screens survive in the parish churches and cathedrals of England.

References

Illustrations

Parclose screen: Parclose screen, c. 1530, of the Moorhayes Chapel, Cullompton Church, Devon, England. Looking north-west from within the chancel. Part of the brightly decorated, higher, chancel screen is visible beyond.
Parclose screen, c. 1530, of the Moorhayes Chapel, Cullompton Church, Devon, England. Looking north-west from within the chancel. Part of the brightly decorated, higher, chancel screen is visible beyond.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Parclose screen

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Parclose screen claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Parclose screen before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Parclose screen ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Parclose screen

In research
Parclose screen appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Parclose screen in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Parclose screen is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Architectural elements, Catholic liturgy, Church architecture, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Parclose screen outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Parclose screen in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Parclose screen means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Parclose screen out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Parclose screen in simple terms?

A parclose screen is a screen or railing used to enclose or separate-off a chantry chapel, tomb or manorial chapel, from public areas of a church, for example from the nave or chancel. It should be distinguished from the chancel screen which separates the chancel from the nave, in order to restrict…

Why does Parclose screen matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Parclose screen?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Parclose screen.

Tags

  • Architectural elements
  • Catholic liturgy
  • Church architecture
  • Screens (partitions)

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