All altars in the church, except for the Altar of Repose, are stripped.

Mention of the altar of repose and the procession to it is not found before the close of the fifteenth century.

At the end of the Holy Thursday service, all altars, except the one used as the altar of repose, are stripped.

Traditionally, the faithful pay visits to seven Altars of repose (Sepulkru), preferably in different churches.

See Altar of Repose.

The Mass concludes with a procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the altar of repose.

The altar of repose of these birds provokes a strong concentration of Guano on rock and beaches of the island.

The Good Friday ritual in Malta includes visits to seven tabernacles, or "Altars of Repose", in seven different churches.

But the most popular are the Altars of Repose that set in the churches of The Three Cities, Vittoriosa, Cospicua and Senglea.

After that service (with the altar of repose being dismantled), it remains available as viaticum for the dying in a less conspicuous location such as a locked cabinet in the sacristy.

The altars of the church (except the one used for altar of repose) are later stripped quite bare and, to the extent possible, crosses are removed from the church or veiled.

Originally, the custom was to visit a single church and pray before the Blessed Sacrament placed in the Altar of Repose after the Rite of Transfer on Holy Thursday.

After removing the ciborium from the high altar to the altar of repose, the priest, accompanied by the other ministers, went to the sacristy, where he took off his white Mass vestments and donned a violet stole.

'Holy Thursday: in all the churches Mass in Cena Domini with the rite of washing of the feet, procession of the Apostles and a visit to the Altars of Repose improperly called Tomb.

The hymn Aquinas composed for Vespers of Corpus Christi, 'Pange Lingua Gloriosi Corporis Mysterium', is also used on Holy Thursday during the procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the altar of repose.

Antwerp entertained the next congress, 15-21 August 1890; an immense altar of repose was erected in the Place de Meir, and an estimated 150,000 persons were gathered about it when Cardinal Goossens, Archbishop of Mechlin, gave the solemn Benediction.

Beginning in the morning, the faithful observe the "Visita Iglesia" or "Church Visit", which usually involves going to seven churches to meditate on the Way of the Cross; by evening this includes a visit to the exposed Blessed Sacrament on the Altar of Repose.

The original intent of the custom was to visit the Blessed Sacrament in the Altar of Repose on Maundy Thursday evening, but since no specific prayers aside from those for the Pope are prescribed for the visit, the Stations of the Cross became a popular devotion.

In the form of the Roman Rite in use before 1955, there was no washing of the feet, which could instead be done in a separate later ceremony, and the Mass concluded with a ritual stripping of all altars, except the altar of repose, but leaving the cross and candlesticks.

A sufficient number of hosts are consecrated for use also in the Good Friday service, and at the conclusion the Blessed Sacrament is carried in procession to a place of reposition away from the main body of the church, which, if it involves an altar, is often called an "altar of repose".

The last Mass before Easter is also celebrated on Holy Thursday, usually including a reenactment of the Washing of the Feet of the Apostles; this Mass is followed by the procession of the Blessed Sacrament before it is taken to the Altar of Repose.