The area around the main altar of a church. Sanctuaries in the Graeco-Roman world usually comprised a temple which housed the cultCult In the context of the study of the Middle Ages this phrase is used to describe the devotion which develops around and is focussed on a saint or their relics. A cult may be expressed by ritual, festivals, art, architecture, prayers and writings statue and votiveVotive Something given or undertaken as a consequence of a vow. offerings, and an outdoor space often planted with trees