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Red Doors and the Right of Sanctuary by The Rev. Hartshorn Murphy
The "right of sanctuary" dates back to antiquity and is derived from the knowledge that sanctuaries are sacred spaces, that sacred objects need to be held inviolate and that removing a person from such a sacred space was a sacrilege. In Egypt, the temples of Osiris and Amon offered the right of sanctuary refuge for people fleeing violence or penalty of law. All Greek temples enjoyed this privilege and, indeed, the Temple to Apollo in Delphia was known throughout the Mediterranean world as such a haven. Constantine granted such privilege to Christian churches and in Rome, fugitive slaves often sought sanctuary.
The earliest mention of this tradition in English law is found in the laws of King Ethelbert in 600 A.D. The right of asylum for those fleeing persecution was originally confined to the church itself. Fugitives were required to sit in a special stone seat called a "frith stool or, more commonly, had to grasp hold of a large ring or knocker on the church door itself. Over time, sanctuary was extended to the precincts of the church and even larger areas (up to a mile radius), the boundary marked by "sanctuary crosses." In Norman times in England, at least 22 churches were given royal charter as sanctuaries and thus were considered safer refuge than typical parish churches.
A fugitive, convicted of a felon (save for crimes of sacrilege or high treason) and taking the right of sanctuary, was afforded protection for 30-40 days, after which he was required to "abjure the realm," that is, to be exiled and not to return without the King's permission. (Ironically, the Israeli offer to deport those within the Church of the Nativity honors this part of sanctuary tradition.) Violation of the right of sanctuary was punishable by excommunication.
The ecclesiastical right of sanctuary ceased in England at the time of the Reformation and in other European countries by the end of the 18th century.
In America, rather than stone benches and door knockers, the custom was to paint the doors of the church red as a sign to the community of refuge and sanctuary within.
Over time, red doors became associated with signifying not only that the consecrated space contained within is a place of physical refuge and safety but also of spiritual refuge as well. The color red, reminding us of the blood of Jesus and the sacrifice of martyrs, reflects that the world beyond these doors is a "holy ground," a space made sacred by the power of the Holy Spirit, whose color, incidentally, is also "red."
In modern times, churches have often been places of sanctuary for refugees and illegal aliens.
The doors of our sanctuary have been painted red as a prophetic act, an action to cause us to think about how churches in our own time and in our own context, are charged by God to be places of safety and protection in a world marked by violence, war, abuse and evil - social and individual - a world of brokenness, far from the "dream of God." May we be challenged by these doors to pray, act and give for the dream of peace and reconciliation in our world.
Would you harbor me? Would I harbor you?
(The doors will remain red until this summer when they will be re-painted during the general re-painting of the whole facility.)
Copyright © 2002 St. Augustine by-the-Sea
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The stand off at one of Christendom's most holy sites, the Church of the Nativity in Palestinian Bethlehem, between the Israeli army and hundreds of Palestinian civilians, some said to be terrorists, has been widely misunderstood in the American media. What has been claimed appears to be the "right of sanctuary." The action in Bethlehem needs to be put into historical perspective.