With 15-foot golden pillars, colorful tapestry and human-size statues dressed like priests in biblical times, the sanctuary of Moses has been re-created by an independent ministry from Oklahoma at the Nevada County Fairgrounds.

The display, an artist’s interpretation of the biblical description of the sanctuary, will be open to the public from 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday through Oct. 27 near Gate 4 of the fairgrounds. It has been built by a group called Ministry of Messiah’s Mansion.

“A lot of people read about the sanctuary (built in the desert at Mt. Sinai) in the Old Testament, but it’s hard to visualize what it was like,” said John Alspaugh, pastor at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Grass Valley that is sponsoring the display. “The sanctuary (at the fairgrounds) is like a working model that teaches the whole plan of God’s salvation through symbols and ceremonies. It’s also the only traveling exhibit of its kind in the country.”

In the past five years, the Ministry of the Messiah’s Mansion has exhibited the display at various places around the country. The exhibit is laid out in the form of a free tour through five separate tents. A 15-minute presentation will be given to visitors at each tent.

The tour gives a largely Christian interpretation of the sanctuary built by Israelites on their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land hundreds of years before the appearance of Jesus.

The display costs about $10,000 to $15,000, said Carolyn Leinneweber, a member of the Ministry of the Messiah’s Mansion.

“This is something we want to do for our community,” Alspaugh said. “But it’s not something we’ve done just for our church. It’s open to everyone.

“People would want to see this because it would help them understand a huge portion of the Old Testament,” he said.

“We hope to have around 2,000 to 4,000 visitors,” Leinneweber said. She expects to draw visitors from as far away as Sacramento.

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To contact Soumitro Sen, e-mail soumitros@theunion.com or call 477-4229.