<P> A pew (/ ˈpjuː /) is a long bench seat or enclosed box, used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church or sometimes a courtroom . </P> <P> The first backless stone benches began to appear in English churches in the thirteenth century, originally placed against the walls of the nave . Over time, they were brought into the centre of the room, first as moveable furniture and later fixed to the floor . Wooden benches replaced the stone ones from the fourteenth century and became common in the fifteenth . </P>

What are the rows of seats in a church called