History: A Church in Syria in the Fifth Century

"This is how a church is to be arranged: there will be three entrances in honor of the Trinity. The sacristy (diakonikon) will be to the right of the right entrance, so that the eucharists, namely, the gifts that are brought, can be seen. The sacristy will have a forward area surrounded by a portico. A baptistry is to be placed here.

"The church will have an area for the catechumens, also to be used by the door-keepers. This place will be separate from the church so that [the catechumens] might enter the church and remain there to hear the readings, the spiritual canticles, and the psalms. A bench will be placed close to the altar, to the right and to the left [to serve as] seating places for the priests in such as way that those who are more elevated [in dignity] and more honorable might sit on the right with those who carry the word, whereas the middle-aged sit on the left. The bench will be elevated by three degrees: likewise for the altar which should be located there. The building will have two porches, one on the right for the men and another on the left for the women." The Testament of Our Lord, 1.19