| Churches have seen a lot of radical changes over the | | | | of the churches, there were pews in the name of a |
| last couple of centuries. Some of the changes have | | | | house. As a result, there was great pressure in the |
| revolved around ideologies while some were reflected | | | | church as no one else could sit on the pews except |
| in the different styles of church pews that have | | | | the ones who have rented it. Churches resorted to |
| evolved over the years. | | | | making free seating arrangements along the galleries |
| Some of the early Christian designers and architects | | | | to cope up with the problem but this was insufficient |
| had developed a centralized plan that was based | | | | especially in the light of increasing population. |
| purely on a circular shape, or the polygon or square. | | | | Since 1930, there have been major changes in the |
| The most important aspect of the centralized plan | | | | seating arrangements in churches across the world |
| was the centre of the entire structure that was | | | | and also in the US where an increasing democratic |
| dominated by a dome at the top. This plan worked | | | | ideology was removing the demarcation that |
| well because the congregation attending churches | | | | separated the white from the black people. In the post |
| were standing and not seated. Hence pews were not | | | | Civil War era, most of the churches added new fittings |
| used in the medieval times. | | | | and furniture that included box pews and pulpits. |
| The pews were a dominant feature in various | | | | The post war era also saw reformation that affected |
| churches in the period between 1600 and 1800. During | | | | the design of the church. The pulpit became a |
| this time, social rank was considered as a major | | | | prominent feature, and was placed behind the |
| influence in the seating arrangements and those with | | | | Communion Table. The communion table replaced the |
| higher social status were able to sit in the church pews | | | | altar. If we look over the different periods when the |
| closest to the pulpit. All churches had a separate | | | | church architecture and pews went through changes, |
| section of pews that were meant for seating general | | | | we will find that the changes were driven by |
| public while others were set aside for special groups. | | | | theological considerations. Today, theological |
| The different types of seating arrangements in a | | | | considerations have no place within the modern |
| church included pews for the poor, adolescents, deaf | | | | architecture of churches all over the world. |
| hard of hearing, widows and black people. Church | | | | Some of the churches have even experimented with |
| pews for black people were known as Negro Pews. | | | | the rearrangement of the church pews and there was |
| Some of the churches had numbered Negro pews | | | | a time when parishioners sat across each other in a |
| and even labeled them as "Negro." | | | | face to face seating arrangement. The church pews |
| Another seating arrangement in churches in the | | | | were introduced in the Middle Age and the seating |
| bygone era included slave owners paying to purchase | | | | arrangements were meant only for those who |
| pew space for their servants or slaves. In the period | | | | needed to sit like the elderly or infirms. As time passed, |
| between 1840 and 1930, the church shifted from | | | | Bishops got their chairs and this was followed by |
| having private seating arrangements to free pews and | | | | church pews for the ministers and the congregation. In |
| open seating arrangements. This led to the coining of | | | | the modern world, all churches have pews to |
| the term: "free church". | | | | accommodate most of people attending mass. |
| The early years of the 19th century brought in several | | | | The pew seating arrangement was seen as a |
| reforms and led to the collapse of the old parish | | | | Northern European invention and there was a time |
| system. The old parish system was set during the 12th | | | | when the wealthy people bought their pews. In some |
| century and meanwhile the surrounding landscape in | | | | of the churches, there were pews based on the |
| England was changing at an enormously rapid rate. | | | | gender. But those were the medieval ages and things |
| Cities were growing up fast like Liverpool, Birmingham, | | | | have changed radically in the 20th century. Today |
| Manchester and London. In spite of that there was no | | | | there is no difference between white or black, no |
| guarantee that you may find pews even in the | | | | gender separation or wealthy and poor: anyone and |
| neighborhood church. Seating accommodation was still | | | | everyone can sit on the church pews and reach out to |
| haphazard and disorganized. Most of the churches | | | | God. |
| rented out their pews to individual families and in some | | | | |