(ἀυφίθυρά , a folding door, because they opened in the middle) were hanging veils used in Eastern churches to conceal the chancel from the catechumens and unbelievers. They were also designed to conceal the eucharist at the time of consecration. As Christian churches were constructed after the type of the Jewish Temple, the ἀυφίθυρα represents the veil which separated the holy of holies from other parts of the Temple.