The Sanctuary

The sanctuary of this Basilica is the raised area at the front of the church where the altar, seating for the priests, the bishop’s chair, the lectern, and where the tabernacle is located. It's a sacred space where the Liturgy (the Catholic church service) is celebrated, and the Word of God is proclaimed. 

In Gothic architecture the focal point of the church is the sanctuary.  It represents heaven and things of heaven:  The angels, the saints and where God dwells.

The focal point of the Basilica’s interior is the 37 feet high and 44-foot-wide High altar.  With its niches for the statues of 21saints and angels, its pinnacles and center tower.  The high point is the gold cross which is situated in front of the center of the rose window. 

The Catholic sanctuary has its roots in the Old Testament: 

The Tabernacle, which located in the center of the high altar, is representative of “The Tent of Dwelling” where the presence of God was preserved in the Arc of the Covenant, guarded by angels.  In the Catholic tradition, the tabernacle houses the true presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.  The red candlelight indicates that Jesus is in fact present there.  The tabernacle is covered with a veil similar to the veil of the Holy of Holies in the Old Testament Jerusalem Temple. 

The altar is the wooden table block located at the front and center of the sanctuary.  In the Old Testament the altar was a specific table where the priest of the temple carried out the prescribed sacrifices which atoned for the peoples’ sins and restored their relationship with God.  The altar in a Catholic church is where the sacrifice of the Cross is made present under the sacramental signs of bread and wine. The altar is also called the table of the Lord, to which the people of God are invited to partake of Jesus in the eucharist or commonly known as Holy Communion. 

The lectern, also called the ambo, is where the word of God is proclaimed. 

The priest's chair is used by the priest acting “in persona Christi”, which is Latin for in the person of Christ.

The ornate chair, located on the left side of the altar, is the symbolic seat of authority of the bishop of Charlottetown.  From this seat the bishop presides at solemn functions including Holy Mass.  This particular chair was constructed in 1914 by a local cabinet maker and was presented to the Bishop and the Diocese of Charlottetown on Christmas eve that same year.  The carved symbols on the chair are a mitre (the bishop’s headdress) and crosier or staff which represent the bishop’s authority and ecclesiastical role as shepherd.

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