The former altar

The cathedral’s former high altar was a rock held in the jaws of a bronze table. Consecrated on 22 December 1996 by Monsignor Jean Honoré, it was designed and made in Soissons stone by François Arnal, sculptor and designer.

The symbolism of the Rock is among the most evocative. It is the "foundation stone" of the Church, but it is also Christ, prefigured by the "Rock of the Spring" in the Book of Exodus.
The Old Testament tells us that the earliest altars were rocks.
Finally, the rock recalls the broken stone of the now open tomb of the "risen Christ". It evokes strength, solidity and security, in other words, Christ.

This altar now stands in the church of Saint Pie X (Saint Pius X) in Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire.