cancellus
(plural:Cancelli) Barriers which correspond to the modern balustrade or railing, especially the screen dividing the body of a church from the part occupied by the ministers hence chancel.
The nave, ecclesiastically considered, was the area reserved for the non-clergy (the "laity"), while the chancel and choir were reserved for the clergy, and a rood screen (cancellus) separated the sanctuary from the nave.
Etymology: from Latin: "cancellus" = a screen
The words chancel and sanctuary are often synonyms. Protestant churches tend to use "chancel," whereas Catholic churches tend to use "sanctuary." ...
Chancel: Space around the altar of a church that is usually intended for the clergy (fig.1). From the Latin cancellus for "railing." ...
 See also: Apse, Architecture, Screen, Chancel, Cathedra
  
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