sanctum sanctorum

sanctum sanctorum

1. The innermost sanctuary of a temple, particularly the tabernacle in the Temple of Jerusalem, which housed the Ark of the Covenant. The Latin phrase translates to "holy of holies." The sanctum sanctorum is a very sacred place—it's where the Ark of the Covenant was kept.
2. By extension, any place that is regarded as very private and sacred. The basement is my sanctum sanctorum, and I'm trying to relax down here, so take your drama somewhere else.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • holy of holies
  • the holy of holies
  • (as) sure as eggs (is eggs)
  • a penny for them
  • lex dubia non obligat
  • be out of the ark
  • great minds
  • great minds think alike
  • be twiddling (one's) thumbs
  • be twiddling your thumbs
References in periodicals archive
Later, sitting in straight rows on canvas mats in the vicinity of the sanctum sanctorum, everybody, high or low, young or old, ate to their fill, served from the community kitchen, organised by the local Kshatriya families who manage the affairs of the temple.
The sanctum sanctorum was barricaded with women police constables and temple trust guards placed at every nook and corner of the town.
While the "Avengers: Age of Ultron" trailer may provide a hint to the character's presence, IBTimes claimed Doctor Stephen Strange could also be featured in "Captain America: Civil War." One of the supposed plot twists in the movie reportedly involves Captain America and his team of superhumans seeking refuge inside the Sorcerer Supreme's Sanctum Sanctorum.
The temple's sanctum sanctorum and the Bodhi Tree, under which Lord Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment, did not suffer any damage in the blasts.
Inside the sanctum sanctorum, Cameron bowed his head with folded hands and was presented a 'Siropa', a traditional, religious honour, by the shrine priests.
The sanctum sanctorum glowed resplendently, its reflection lighting up the holy pool it stood amidst.
Executives don't like the unwashed streaming through their sanctum sanctorum.
The lives of saints and realised ones attest that the Almighty had knocked on the doors of even the most ostracised in society, thereby proving that social identities like learning, age, gender, class or caste do not have any meaning at the Sanctum Sanctorum of the Supreme Being.
The water entered the shrine, dedicated to Lord Shiva submerging the sanctum sanctorum under several feet of water.
The rituals began around 10.20am when the chief priest of Attukal Bhagavathi Temple lit the makeshift stove with fire brought from the sanctum sanctorum.
Even RSS, a very conservative organization, has recommended the entry of women in the sanctum sanctorum of the temples like Sabarimala, for which a group of Hindu women have been fighting.
But even as petitions filed by Hindu and Muslim organisations -- which challenged the Allahabad High Court's verdict of dividing the disputed site into three parts -- are pending, the Supreme Court on Friday ordered the Uttar Pradesh government to provide basic facilities to pilgrims thronging the makeshift sanctum sanctorum of an
The latter will gather those under his command to take refuge in Doctor Strange's sanctum sanctorum. However, the cave will be where Captain America meets his demise.
Srinivasa Raju later escorted him into the sanctum sanctorum of the hill temple where he stood in front of the main deity for about ten minutes and offered his prayers.