nave

The central and principal part of a church interior, extending from the entrance to the choir or altar area — where the congregation sits or stands during services.

• (related: aisle
• transept
• chancel)

• church nave
• nave of the cathedral
• central nave
• nave and aisle
• nave ceiling

1. 1.The nave of Notre-Dame de Paris stretches 130 metres from the western entrance to the altar, its ribbed vaulting rising 33 metres — designed to overwhelm worshippers with a sense of divine space. (cathedral interior)
2. 2.Medieval churches are cruciform: the nave forms the long arm of the cross, intersected by the transept, with the altar at the eastern end. (architectural layout)

• (no direct synonym — it is a specific architectural term for this part of a church)

from Latin "navis" (ship) — the nave was thought to resemble an inverted ship's hull — the church as a vessel carrying the faithful