Buildings and structures of the Catholic Church

thumb|Sacristy with a sacristy credens (a cabinet with wide and very shallow drawers in which vestments and hangings are stored). A chasuble and stole are laid out on top of it, ready to be put on. A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.

thumb|Palacio Episcopal in Astorga, Spain An episcopium (Latin for an episcopal palace) is an ecclesiastical figure and their administration. The episcopium emphasizes "an essential unity between his [the bishop's] person, power and place." In medieval Italy episcopia were frequently part of a complex connected to the baptistery and cathedral.