High Altar Zacatecas Cathedral: A Triumph of Design and Spirituality

Claudio & Christian Gantous' Masterpiece of Contemporary Architecture

The High Altar Zacatecas Cathedral is a high altarpiece and ceremonial space, inspired by the transcendent spirit of contemporary architecture. The designers, Claudio & Christian Gantous, collaborated with world-renowned sculptor Javier Marín to create a dialogue between the church's magnificent eighteenth-century baroque façade and its severe, neoclassical interior.

The altarpiece is composed of geometric prisms that rise from the presbytery's most elevated platform and grow ever lighter as they ascend. This design references the piece's dedication to the Virgin of the Assumption. At its base stands a bronze cross and twelve canons' thrones, each crowned with a bronze representing its respective apostle's martyrdom.

The main body of the High Altarpiece was developed as a stacking system of 30cm x 30cm prisms of variable heights. The 514 prisms constitute a wall screen 11m wide and 16.5m tall. They were made of Finnish birch wood laminate to guarantee durability and stability. The finish is 24 karat gold leaf applied with traditional methodology. The gold was extracted from the Peñasquito en Mazapíl, Zacatecas mine and sent to Germany to be laminated.

The worship space is covered in its entirety in European Oak 30cm x 5m oil finish wood planks. Four bronze plaques created by the sculptor were placed embedded in the wood floor at the sides of the altar in the shape of a cross representing the head, hands and feet; symbols of Christ's passion. The altar is made of a 3.1m x 1m x 10cm slab of red marble supported by a pair of bronze angel wings.

The 12 chorus chairs are built in Oak wood and each is crowned with a sculpted bronze cube that alludes to the martyrdom of the 12 apostles. The lectern and podium are made of Oak wood with inlaid bronze details. The end users' interaction with the high altarpiece and worship space is one of reverence and introspection by the experience of sacred space.

The project was designed in Mexico city during the period of June to November 2009. Construction took place in Zacatecas beginning in January and completed by the end of June 2010. The result is a testament to the designers' prodigy and wisdom, embodying extraordinary excellence and significantly impacting the world with its desirable characteristics.