Words + Images

… particularly at certain times of day is the altar inside Trinity Church in Copley Square.  This altar is not part of the original construction and furnishings that took place between 1872-1877.  As described in a 1952 publication, The Story of Trinity Church in the City of Boston, by Rev. Edward Dutcher Romig, it was designed by Charles D. Maginnis as part of a 20th Century redesign of the chancel.  He writes of a giant block of Montenelle marble quarried near Trieste, and covered with carved faces and inserted borders of Venetian gold glass and colored glass mosaics. “The peacocks on the face of the altar symbolize eternal life, and the grapevine represents the wine used at the Communion Service. Thus the whole composition tells us that Christians who devoutly partake of the Lord’s Supper share in Christ’s promise of eternal life.”

You can learn more in a variety ways including Art & Architecture tours.  Another excellent resource is the book The Makers of Trinity available at the Trinity Book Shop.