The metal vessel suspended on chains in which incense is burned during liturgical worship.
The thurible is the censer in which grains of incense are burned upon a bed of glowing charcoal, its fragrant smoke rising as a figure of the prayers of the faithful ascending to God. Swung on its chains by the thurifer, it incenses the altar, the Gospel book, the gifts, the ministers, and the people in turn.
Form and use
A typical thurible comprises a fixed lower bowl that holds the charcoal and a pierced lid raised and lowered by a system of chains, allowing the incense to be replenished and the smoke to escape. Its companion vessel is the navicula, or boat, which carries the unburned incense and its spoon.
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