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The High Altar The Sanctuary is the central sacred space of the Cathedral, and contains its focal point, the High Altar. The Altar is made of five blocks of California granite from the Sierra Nevada foothills, with a tabletop, or mensa, of California redwood, symbolic of the timespan of Christianity, since redwood trees can grow to be 2000 years old. The joining of a stone base to a wooden tabletop is a metaphor for the Episcopal Church, combining the traditional stone altar of Roman Catholic heritage with the simple wooden communion table of Protestant worship. The three main blocks of the Altar symbolize the Trinity. Five brass cross insets in the mensa symbolize the five wounds of the crucified Christ. The altar weighs 1.6 tons. The corner candlestands are of bronze, with blades of gilded steel, recalling San Francisco's civic motto (1859): "Gold in peace, iron in war." |
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