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Royal Doors
The central doors of the iconostasis — the threshold between nave and sanctuary, opened at key moments of the Liturgy.
The Royal Doors are the central doors of the iconostasis, typically bearing icons of the Annunciation and the four Evangelists. They open toward the nave; beyond them is the holy table and the bema. The Royal Doors are opened at specific moments of the Divine Liturgy — at the Great Entrance, at the reading of the Gospel, at the epiclesis, and for communion — and closed at others. The opening and closing images the movement between the visible and invisible Church.