  a misericord (sometimes named mercy seat, like the biblical object) is a small wooden shelf on the underside of a folding seat in a church, installed to provide a degree of comfort for a person who has to stand during long periods of prayer. the small shelves were available for use at times when the folding chair was required to be stored folded up, and the person expected to be in an upright position. ==origins== prayers in the early medieval church at the daily divine offices (i.e. matins, lauds, prime, terce, sext, none, vespers, and compline) were said standing with uplifted hands. the old or infirm could use crutches or, as time went on, a misericordia (literally "act of mercy"). for these times of required standing, seating was constructed so that the seats could be turned up. however, the undersides sometimes had a small shelf, a misericord, allowing the user to lean against it, slightly reducing his discomfort. like most other medieval woodwork in churches, they were usually skilfully carved and often show detailed scenes, despite being hidden underneath the seats, especially in the choir stalls of the quire around the altar. ==history== misericords in english churches date from the start of the 13th century right up until the 21st century, although after the beginning of the 17th century they are viewed as modern copies with little or no historical importance. remnant's 1969 catalogue dismisses everything after that date as "modern", rarely even affording it a description, but there are many wonderful carvings from the victorian era, and even the modern day. the earliest set of misericords can be found in the choir stalls of exeter cathedral and dates from the middle of the 13th century. the vast majority of english misericords date from the 14th and 15th centuries and are curiously most often depictions of secular or pagan images and scenes, entirely at odds with the christian iconography and aesthetic that surround them. many stalls with misericords were once part of monastic or collegiate churches, but under the reformation many were either destroyed or broken up to be dispersed amongst parish churches. those that survived were further depleted by 17th-century iconoclasts and victorian reformers. one set at chester was destroyed by dean howson because he deemed it improper, although 43 of the original medieval scenes remain. the woodcarvers came from lincoln in the late 14th century and moved on to westminster hall 
Catholic_liturgy Christian_prayer Church_architecture Eastern_Christian_liturgical_objects Eastern_Christian_liturgy Liturgy_of_the_Hours Seats