This is why church pews were invented...

[Michie]

In the United States we see pews as a necessary and basic part of every Catholic Church. However, pews are a rather recent invention and surprisingly didn't even orginate in Catholicism. For most of Church history, worshippers stood during the celebration of Mass. There did exist a few scattered benches for the elderly to sit on...

Continued below.
This is why church pews were invented

 

[anna ~ grace]

Are Catholic Churches in other parts of the world still stand-only? I know some Orthodox stand continually.

 

[Anhelyna]

I can only speak of Portugal really - and there , even in the oldest RC Churches I have visited [ and some were in pretty remote areas ] all the Churches had pews.

France - I've visited a few - Paris and Lourdes - and again they had pews.

My own UGCC Church has pews - I wish it didn't but then we bought it from the Church of Scotland so pews came with it.

The little Orthodox Chapel I also attend [ converted from a basement store room ] has 2 chairs and 3 benches each of which will take 3 thin people and everyone else stands - we have been known to squash 24 people in there

 

[pdudgeon]

on behalf of the old and frail, those churches have my thanks.
I can manage 15 minutes standing still with the support of the pew in front of me, but only by offering the resulting pain up to God.

 

[Bob Crowley]

I was at a Toastmasters training afternoon yesterday, and they'd "hired" a Baptist Church for the meeting.

It had the luxury of padded pews, which were quite comfortable. Somehow I think there might have been a few Toastmasters muttering inarticulate imprecations or loud articulate sermons if they'd had to sit on wooden pews for the duration.

 

[Stabat Mater dolorosa]

It's true that the Lutherans introduced the pews. How else could a parishioner take homilies for up to 1 h 30 minutes a time as were the timeframe of homilies in the lutheran churches in Denmark-Norway at the 16-17th century?

The truth is that the reason the king of Denmark reformed the Concordia of liturgy for his kingdom was to keep the sermons from getting EVEN LONGER, which was often the case before the reform.

I read somewhere that sermons had been two and three hours long before the reform so I take it the parishioners couldn't have gotten better news.

The overall reason why the sermons were long had to do with Luther and his Sola Scripture. Laying out and explaining Scripture to the laity became a very important task for his church and a real ecclesiastical necessity.

Why the Catholic church who historically is a sacramental church has adopted this lutheran interior and style however is surprising to me.
If I take a guess I think it might have to do with the fact that churches living alongside one another will be affected by one another.

Often we adopt things from one another for better or worse.
No-one lives alone on an island...

 

[Dave-W]

It's true that the Lutherans introduced the pews.

Did they? Or was that just re-inventing the wheel?

Synagogues had seating for all going back to Talmudic times (500 ad) and there is discussion in the Tamuds about the separate seating for women. See sections Sukkah 51a,b-52a in the Babylonian Talmud and Middot 2:5, and Sanhedrin :5 in the Mishnah.

In addition, benches have been found in ruins of ancient (first century) synagogues, but it is unclear how widely they were used. In most synagogues then, worshipers just sat on mats on the floor.

Ancient Synagogue Seating Capacities

 

[Stabat Mater dolorosa]

Did they? Or was that just re-inventing the wheel?

Synagogues had seating for all going back to Talmudic times (500 ad) and there is discussion in the Tamuds about the separate seating for women. See sections Sukkah 51a,b-52a in the Babylonian Talmud and Middot 2:5, and Sanhedrin :5 in the Mishnah.

In addition, benches have been found in ruins of ancient (first century) synagogues, but it is unclear how widely they were used. In most synagogues then, worshipers just sat on mats on the floor.

Ancient Synagogue Seating Capacities

Hmm, thanks for input Dave.
I actually knew that synagogues had and still have pews, but I didn't know that it has been so for as long as you say.

I it's better to say that it was introduced for the first time in the Christian church in the western world.
I know that the Greek orthodox all have pews in church too, but I have no clue for how long this has been the case.
It might predate the Lutherans for all I know. Perhaps pews has at least as long of a tradition in the universial Catholic church (prior to 1054 AD) as standing at mass has.

 

[Dave-W]

It's better to say that it was introduced for the first time in the Christian church in the western world.

OK, that is good. I have often found the Christian Church has "reinvented the wheel" on a good many things the Jews had for centuries.