Peristasis (architecture)
The peristasis was a four-sided porch or hallway of columns surrounding the cella in an ancient Greek peripteral temple. This allowed priests to pass round the cella in cultic processions.
If such a hall of columns surrounds a patio or garden, it is called a peristyle rather than a peristasis.
In ecclesial architecture, it is also used of the area between the baluster of a Catholic church and the high altar.
