Vestries are small rooms or spaces within a church used for storing vestments or serving as a sacristy. Similar words to vestries include sacristies, chapels, oratories, apses, or naves. While these words may have slightly different meanings or connotations, they are often used interchangeably to refer to the same space within a church. Other related words to vestries include ante-chambers, robing rooms, or dressing rooms, which all refer to a space designated for changing into ceremonial garments or vestments. Whatever the preferred term may be, vestries and their counterparts play an essential role in religious history and traditions and have been used in churches for centuries.