Narthex
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The narthex is an architectural element in Christian churches consisting of the area reached after opening the church doors; one or three doors in the narthex then open into the nave of the church.
The narthex of St. Patrick's Church in Lowell, Massachusetts. The entrance to the church building itself, along with the entrance to the nave is visible in this photograph.
Floorplan of the Chora Church, showing both inner and outer narthex.
In the narthex of a small Orthodox church in Romania, looking through the doorway into the nave and Holy Doors.
Side view of a narthex in an Eastern Orthodox temple. In the center is an analogion at which the priest hears confessions, to the right of that is a silver baptismal font and vessels for dispensing holy water. The main hall is to the left (Pechersky Ascension Monastery, Nizhny Novgorod).
Royal doors
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The royal doors, holy doors, or beautiful gates are the central doors of the iconostasis in an Eastern Orthodox or Eastern Catholic church. The sanctuary is separated from the nave by a wooden screen
Gilded Royal Doors carved to represent the Tree of Life (Old wooden church in Chotyniec, Poland).
Elaborate Holy Doors (left) in the Chapel of the Wonderworking Icon of the Theotokos of Smolensk in the Dormition Cathedral, Smolensk, Russia
Ornate Holy Doors at Ipatiev Monastery, Kostroma, Russia. The six medallions on the doors depict the Annunciation (upper right: Theotokos, upper left: Gabriel) and the Four Evangelists.