Spelling bee word:
narthex
n.
5LL(Ec) < LGr(Ec) narthcx < Gr, giant fennel: from a fancied resemblance of the porch to the hollow stem6
1 in early Christian churches, a porch or portico at the west end for penitents and others not admitted to the church itself
2 any church vestibule leading to the nave