Presbytery

presbytery (prĕz`bĭtĕr'ē, prĕs`–), in architecture, the space in the eastern end of a church reserved for the higher clergy. It was also known in the early Christian Church as the apse, tribune, or exedra. In the English medieval cathedrals the presbytery usually occupies a large space between the high altar and the choir stalls. The term is used in Presbyterian churches for the court composed of the ministers and representative elders (one from each congregation) of a district.

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presbytery

1. Presbyterian Church

a. a local Church court composed of ministers and elders

b. the congregations or churches within the jurisdiction of any such court

2. the part of a cathedral or church east of the choir, in which the main altar is situated; sanctuary

3. presbyters or elders collectively

4. government of a church by presbyters or elders

5. RC Church the residence of a parish priest

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presbytery, presbyterium

The actual sanctuary of a church beyond the choir and occupied only by the officiating clergy.

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Presbytery 

in European and Eastern Christian architecture, the space between the solea and the altar, or the table for the sacraments. In Orthodox churches, the presbytery corresponds to the bema, and in Western European medieval churches, to the central part of the choir.