Lentorama 2013: There's a Name for That

Day 12: misericord

So back in the day there could be a lot of standing during services, between prayers, chanting, singing and the like. And if you were an older member of a monastery or other order, standing so much wasn't that easy. The stalls used for sitting had folding seats, so someone came up with the idea of putting a little shelf on the underside of the folding seat so there was somewhere to lean and get a little relief.

Misericords were also often carved to represent a religious figure or scene, giving them their own niche in religious art.