Candlesticks designed to stand on an altar, especially as used on the altars of Christian churches. Use of candles in the context of Christian liturgies is first documented in the tenth century, when acolytes carried candlesticks to the altar, but placed them on the floor of the sanctuary or near the corners of the altar, as is still the custom in the Eastern Church. Candlesticks designed to be placed on the altar typically include five parts: the foot, the stem, the knob about the middle of the stem, the bowl to receive the drippings of wax, and the pricket on which the candle is fixed. Altars typically have two candlesticks, placed on either side of a crucifix. However, sets of altar candlesticks may comprise two, four, or six identically designed candlesticks.
