Misericord

This article is about the church ornament. For the weapon, see Misericorde (weapon).
For the piece of church furniture known as the mercy seat that is used for repentance, see Mourner's bench.
Misericord from the Charterhouse of Florence (Tuscany, Italy), depicting a mascaron
With the seat lifted (as at left), the misericord provides a ledge to support the user

A misericord (sometimes named mercy seat, like the biblical object) is a small wooden structure formed on the underside of a folding seat in a church which, when the seat is folded up, is intended to act as a shelf to support a person in a partially standing position during long periods of prayer.[1]

  1. ^ "Inside the church: What do you need to know?". BBC iWonder. BBC. Retrieved 2016-07-18.