Needlepointed by Peggy Peacock.
The design for the cushion for the Bishop’s Chair is the logo of the Diocese of Atlanta. The miter on top symbolizes the authority of the bishop. The jar in the field at left is a ciborium, which holds consecrated bread.
The uniquely "Atlanta" symbol is the bird, which is a phoenix. The phoenix, a mythical bird, rises from the ashes of its funeral pyre to live again. Note the flames at the bottom in the logo. The symbol works on several levels. It predates Christianity, but it's an obvious image of the resurrection of Christ. The phoenix also appears on the seal of the city of Atlanta, which ‘rose’ from its ashes after being burned to the ground in 1864 during the Civil War. The Atlanta motto (which does not appear on the diocese logo) is "Resurgens," which means "rising again."
The logo sometimes appears with the words "Seal of the Diocese of Atlanta MDCCCCVII" around it, which is the year (1907) of The Diocese of Atlanta’s creation out of the Diocese of Georgia. The Diocese modernized the Roman numeral as MCMVII. The seal is used only for authentication, such as being imprinted on a document. For all other purposes, the logo appears without the words.
Peggy Peacock stitched her cushion to the glory of God and in thanksgiving for all the clergy of Grace Church - past, present, and future. |
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