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Examples of high altar in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While digging in the quire, a space at the cathedral’s center that houses its choir stalls, high altar and bishop’s throne, researchers unearthed the original foundations of a 12th-century altar, a medieval crypt and the empty tombs of two bishops.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Dec. 2023
Experts made the finds while excavating the cathedral’s quire, a space at the church’s center that houses its choir stalls, high altar and bishop’s throne.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Aug. 2023
The foundations of Exeter’s high altar—the most important and usually largest altar in a church—were laid during the original construction 900 years ago.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Aug. 2023
On Christmas Day in 1950, the stone was taken by Scottish nationalists from Westminster but was recovered a few months later 500 miles (800 km) away on the high altar of Arbroath Abbey in Scotland.
—Reuters, NBC News, 28 Apr. 2023
The gold of the high altar.
—Peter Ross, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2023
His coronation chair will stand on the intricate floor in front of the abbey’s high altar.
—Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 24 Mar. 2023
The Dean will then place them on a high altar.
—Alyssa Bailey, ELLE, 19 Sep. 2022
Emperor Constans II of Byzantium blithely stole the Pantheon’s copper roofing in the mid-seventh century; a millennium later, Pope Urban VIII appropriated its bronze girders for Bernini’s baldacchino over the high altar in St. Peter’s Basilica.
—Amanda Foreman, WSJ, 15 Apr. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'high altar.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of high altar was
before the 12th century
Dictionary Entries Near high altar
Cite this Entry
“High altar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/high%20altar. Accessed 31 May. 2024.
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