<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><mads xmlns="http://www.loc.gov/mads/" xmlns:mods="http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.loc.gov/mads/
mads.xsd"><authority><topic authority="http://AATesaurus.cultura.gencat.cat/aat/getty_en">sarcophagus altars</topic></authority><related type="other"><topic>mensas</topic></related><related type="other"><topic>sarcophagi</topic></related><related type="other"><topic>grave altars</topic></related><related type="broader"><topic>sepulchral monuments</topic></related><related type="broader"><topic>altars</topic></related><variant type="other"><topic>altars, sarcophagus</topic></variant><variant type="other"><topic>sarcophagus altar</topic></variant> <note xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[ Altars for which the mensa rests on a sarcophagus containing relics. These developed from the Early Christian practice of celebrating the Eucharist slabs placed directly on the tombs saints. The creation of sarcophagus altars flourished in the 16th-17th centuries. ]]></note></mads>