Altar Area

The panels behind the Altar contain the Apostles Creed, the Ten Commandments and the Lord's Prayer, Fundamentals of Faith, Law and Prayer, required by Canon Law in the colonial period. Notice the Hebrew consonants J H V H (reading from right to left), representing the unspoken name of God.

St. John's owns a stunning set of communion silver, consisting of 2 large flagons, a deep chalice, and a footed paten presented by Queen Caroline to Queen's Chapel. The set is used at Christmas and Easter, but is otherwise stored in a bank vault.

The 2 mahogany chairs located within the sanctuary are very old. One of the 2 was saved from the fire which destroyed the original edifice on December 24th, 1806. The other was made to duplicate the one which was destroyed. When President Washington worshipped here in 1789, he occupied one of the 2 chairs.

(Posted February 28, 2005 by bmenk)