1. Plural of hagioscope; small openings or windows in the walls of a medieval church that allowed people in the transept or side aisles to view the altar during services.
Usage: architectural; historical; also called squints or leper windows

Examples

• The medieval church featured several hagioscopes cut into the thick stone walls.
• Historians studied the hagioscopes to understand how worshippers in different parts of the church could observe the priest at the altar.
• The narrow hagioscopes allowed those unable to enter the main nave to participate in the service.
• Archaeologists documented the hagioscopes as important features of 12th-century church architecture.
• The hagioscopes in this Norman church are among the best-preserved examples in England.