Greece and the Orient. Egyptian temples In the Hellenistic culture of the Ptolemaic Kingdom in ancient Egypt, the cella referred to that which is hidden and unknown inside the inner sanctum of an Egyptian temple, existing in complete darkness, meant to symbolize the state of the universe before the act of creation. The cella, also called the naos, holds many box-like shrines. The Greek word naos has been extended by archaeologists to describe the central room of the pyramids. Towards the end of the Old Kingdom, naos construction went from being subterranean to being built directly into the pyramid, above ground. The naos was surrounded by many different paths and rooms, many used to confuse and divert thieves and grave robbers. Christian churches In early Christian and Byzantine architecture, the cella or naos is an area at the center of the church reserved for performing the liturgy. In later periods a small chapel or monk's cell was also called a cella. This is the source of the Irish language cill or cell (Anglicised as Kil(l)-) in many Irish place names. See also List of Greco-Roman roofs References Bibliography Trachtenberg and Hyman, Architecture:From Prehistory to Post Modernity (second edition) External links Vitruvius, De architectura, Book IV. ch 7 : translation, plans and reconstructions of Tuscan cellae Ancient Roman architecture Greek temples Architectural elements Ancient Greek architecture