Temple

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Temple of St. Sava in Belgrade, Serbia

Temple is a term used by Orthodox Christians to refer to buildings used for conducting religious services, including churches and cathedrals. The word also is used often in reference to the believer as a temple. The word temple comes from the Latin templum, describing a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities.

The term temple appears in both the Greek and Slavic traditions. The Greek term for "temple" (ναός) is commonly applied to larger churches. The Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade, Serbia is an example. In Russian, and similarly in other East Slavic languages, the term for "temple" (khram (Храм)), is used to refer to the church building as a Temple of God (Khram Bozhy). The words church and temple are used interchangeably; however, the term church (derived from the Greek kyriakon, "Lord's [house]") is far more common in English, while in Russian, the more common word for “church” is tserkov.

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