High Altar

High Altar

The High Altar is found on the far east end of the sanctuary.

The altar is made of white marble and inlaid on the top is the altar stone set in a silver cross. It is a relic from the high altar of the Cathedral of Iona, erected in 1203 A.D. on the site of the ancient church built by St. Columba in 563 A.D. It serves as a connecting link between the American Church and the beginnings of Christianity in Scotland from whence the American Episcopate was derived.

Within the reredos and centered around a figure of the teaching Christ are statues of biblical persons and other Christians considered to be pioneers in Christian theology and teaching. Each stall within the sanctuary belongs to a bishop of one of the twenty-two owning dioceses extant when the chapel was enlarged in 1958. The stall closest to the left side of the high altar is reserved for the University Chancellor. Above the altar and to either side we find the Te Deum Laudamus Windows (meaning "We Praise Thee, O God").