thumb|Sanctuary marker (S) at Holyrood Abbey, Royal Mile, Edinburgh thumb|Ajax the Younger violates Cassandra's sanctuary at the Palladium: tondo of an Attic cup, ca. 440–430 BCE A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a safe place for people, such as a political sanctuary; and non-human sanctuary, such as an animal or plant sanctuary.
thumb|Sanctuary marker (S) at Holyrood Abbey Royal Mile, Edinburgh thumb|Ajax the Younger violates Cassandra's sanctuary at the Palladium: tondo of an Attic cup, ca. 440–430 BCE A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a safe place for people, such as a political sanctuary; and non-human sanctuary, such as an animal or plant sanctuary.