The Church of First Light
The Light of The North
"...and when the world shall be covered in The Frost, unknown for when it shall return to green pastures... those of Divine devotion shall take refuge in our Lord's temple, great and towering upon a hill, halls forever warm and filled with the chorus of Summer."~Chapter XI, The Book of First Light, 0m.587
Purpose / Function
Organizational
As one would expect, the overly grandiose Church of First Light serves as the ever-expanding headquarters of the religious order by the very same name. Able to house nearly 2000 worshipers at a time, it is the central hub of the First Light religion in Moret; the Cardinals and the Bishops all convene here, preaching in sermons and discussing their dealings above the central nave. All decisions made here can and will affect First Light churches all over the world.
Commercial
Despite its central focus as a place of worship, the Eastern Wing of the church does indeed host a series of shops and parlours, primarily selling things such an incense, scriptures and food. Part of the profit goes to the shop-keeper (who is usually a member of the Church), and the rest goes to the Church itself to fund further construction and maintenance. Some argue that having shops on holy ground is sinful, however the leaders who profit off such a thing say otherwise.
Philanthropical
On the East end of the Church, directly opposite the shops, is a series of buildings dedicated to serving the poor; a public kitchen, a bunkhouse, and a central outdoor heater all exist here, free to be used by any passers by or homeless of the city. Once every week, on Wednesday, the Church holds a public dinner, serving hot plates to the less-than-fortunate. Occasionally, they also hold donation events, usually collecting clothing and canned goods to be gifted to the needy.
Emergency
As of 6m.959, the Church has been designated as a Citadel, therefore becoming an important evacuation zone in the event of a natural disaster or siege of Organkz. One more than one occasion, the Church has been utilized as a temporary hospital, shelter, and defensive platform; the lower levels of the Church have even been built specifically to house citizens in the event of disaster. The high stone walls and multi-level parapets make it a great location for a defending army to retreat to, complete with some mounted ballistae and fire-cannons.
Alterations
- ~4m.600 - Original church is constructed.
- ~4m.750 - Church reconstructed after a previous fire.
- 5m.545 - King Alfred II adds the abbeyman's wing.
- 5m.602 - Queen Mariaska I builds a garden next to the abbeyman's wing.
- ~5m.697- Unknown king adds a Flame-Lord statue outside the narthex.
- 5m.726- King Jaakko IV makes the North Steeple 10m. taller.
- 5m.727 - King Jaakko V's Regency adds a bell to the North Steeple.
- 5m.735 - Mitzland-Lord Horatio III constructs a library.
- 5m.800 - Queen Mariaska II adds a flour mill near the river.
- 5m.856 - Queen Mary I adds a second level above the nave.
- 5m.875 - 2nd Congress begins to construct a third level.
- 5m.901 - 4th Congress builds a central spire above the third level of the church.
- 6m.006 - Lord Xuxan integrates the nearby homeless shelter into the church grounds.
- 6m.107 - Lord Aska II adds a 4th level.
- 6m.197 - 5th Congress increases all three spires' heights by 30m.
- 6m.222 - Construction of the church is handed over to the Church of First Light's Cardinals & Flame-Baron.
- 6m.301 - Flame-Baron Henry XIV expands Queen Mariaska I's gardens.
- 6m.346 - Wine-cellars and bread storage are expanded.
- 6m.400 - The People's Wing is added north of the North Spire.
- 6m.476 - The Cardinal's Wing (located on the second floor) is expanded.
- 6m.500 - An Embassy and Convention Centre is established on the third level.
- 6m.534 - Flame-Baron Krista ends construction of the church for 200 years in respect for its 2000 years of life.
- 6m.734 - The Reliquary is made more secret and more secure by the Cardinal Council.
- 6m.806 - The Relic Vault is built in secret beneath the Church.
- 6m.850 - The statues of previous monarchs are torn down by the Proletarians.
- 6m.860 - The Proletarian Party attempts to demolish the church, but are stopped by protestors.
- 6m.865 - Church construction is halted by revolutionary anarchy.
- 6m.883 - The Church is repaired and reconstructed.
- 6m.897 - The Great Candle is built atop the central spire, 200m above the ground.
- 6m.954 - The Flames of Democracy are established on the multi-level parapets.
- 6m.976 - Flame-Baron Oris I expands the Church emergency garrison.
- 6m.872 - Sir Gavin Henry London installs a steam-statue in the West Nave.
- 7m.039 - Flame-Baron Oris adds the Merchant's Wing.
- 7m.074 - Flame-Baron Fredrik installs Mist-based heating.
History
Early History
Originally drafted and constructed in 4m.600, the Church was commissioned by the then-lord of Organkz- whose name has since been lost. For most of the Church's early life, it existed only as a medium-sized wood shack, situated upon a relatively quiet hillock near the edge of the town; it had no steeple, no altar... simply a small shrine and a few chairs. During this time, the existence of such a humble place of worship was rather rare; the Aharian and Remonian temples to the far south were full of grandeur and might, dominating the landscapes surrounding them. The Church's small beginnings are primarily due to the lack of any viable sources of stone in the Mitzland wastes; the most abundant resource was undoubtedly the hardy pines that stretched into the horizon.
Unfortunately, the original building was destroyed around 4m.700, presumably due to either a raid or an accidental fire. After the destruction of the Church, King Alsace I of Organkz Province ordered slaves from the newly-established Gaskanni Mine north-east of the city to haul a few hundred stone blocks to the site of the Church ruins. His vision, as his proclamation argued, was to make the church a true beacon in the winter, and, by ~4m.750, it had indeed been completed. This time, the Church had the double-steeple design that would set the precedent for all other First Light churches, as well as the signature Candle engraved upon the church thresholds. Many argue that this was the first true beginnings of the First Light Church as an organization; however, historians dispute this greatly, as there was no record of Light worship beyond Organkz and a few surrounding towns.
Around the time of the Second Remonian Empire (ca. 5m.230), the Church of First Light had expanded its following, with places of worship stretching from East Mitzland all the way to Western Voronstov. The biggest contributors of this rapid growth in following is in part due to the many conquerings wrought by preceding Mitzland kings; each town brought into the Mitzish sphere of influence adopted the Church of First Light eventually. In 5m.545, King Alfred II drafted new plans to expand the Church, adding in a new wing in which the abbeymen could sleep. Although a small addition, it started the important precedent for almost all future Mitzland rulers: expanding the Church. Proceeding him, Queen Mariaska constructed a garden, adjacent to the recently constructed abbeyman's wing. After her, however, records of the Church's expansion grew scarce.
Middle History
Unfortunately, with the fall of the Adroacan Empire and the coming of the Second Great Frost, many records and decrees of the 5th millennia were lost; between Queen Mariaska in 4m.576 and King Jaakko IV in 5m.700, virtually nothing is known about what became of the Church. The only surviving record of this time period is a possibly fictitious rendition of the Church's design, featured in one of the tales in the 5m.659work, The Tales of the Frost-Prince. What is known, however, is that one of the kings preceding King Jaakko had built a statue of the Flame-Lord outside the Church's main entrance, which still stands today in the central cistern.
By the turn of the sixth millennium, the Church had grown to one of the largest structures in Miztland, with a square footage equal to that of the Royal Palace. In 5m.720, the Church played a central role in the First Revolution; democratic revolutionaries used the Church as a defensive location and central headquarters. For seven days, they successfully defended the Church and their families inside from Royalist troops who had yet to abandon the crown. However, exactly 80 years later, the Church served as the newly established democracy's downfall; Lord Xuxan and his troops tricked the government officials and guards to fleeing to the Church, having hidden several dozens of troops inside the many rooms. It was a total massacre, and one which- some say- has cursed the temple forever.
During the 100-year Reign of Lords, the Church seemed to indeed be cursed; builders would routinely face serious injuries, and several even died due to workplace incidents, such as falling off scaffolding or being crushed by falling stones. This could also be due to how poorly the workers were treated, but the evidently abhorrent conditions have not stopped a large chunk of believers from believing. Some go as far as to say the Church itself is haunted to this day, though of course any scientific evidence of this has yet to come along.
"And sat upon the Mighty Holy Hill, the Church did indeed; with its spire piercing cloud and sky and its wings prepared to take flight, it seemed as though the bones of a great sky-creature." ~Chapter XX, The Tales of The Frost-Prince, 5m.659.
Contemporary History
In the 63rd century, the 7th Congress passed over management of the Church to the religious institution itself- with the end of Mitzland monarchy, the separation of church and state became of far more importance; as such, the government felt it was undemocratic to manage the religious buildings in their territory. From this point forward, the First Light Council mainly focused on expanding what had already been built, from the gardens to the abbeyman's wing. However, some notable additions include the People's Wing, used as a public area for the homeless and poor, and the third-level Convention Centre.
In 6m.534, construction of the Church was halted for 200 years- a sign of respect for its 2000 years of ever-evolving existence. This 2-century-long gap in construction saw very little change in Mitzland society- a lack of change that would eventually lead to the Third Revolution. However, as talk as revolution became more and more appealing, the Cardinals decided to increase the security of sacred relics and treasures housed within the Church; some were even taken away to remote monasteries for safekeeping until the Revolution came and went.
During the Third Revolutionary Era, the Church saw a significant amount of disturbance and destruction; during the first Winter Riots in 6m.850, a mob stormed the Church and destroyed any iconography alluding to royalty; statues, tapestries, paintings, and even literature. It sent a powerful message to the increasingly dictatorial Congress, one that warned against the reinstatement of a singular ruler. Ten years later, when the Proletarians officially took control of the government, the Church was nearly demolished; however, many of the First Light religion blocked the streets, preventing demolition equipment from arriving at the Church. When the Proletarian government opened fire on the protestors, many then stormed Congress itself, killing the congressmen inside as statesmen attempted to rebuild the democracy they previously had.
During more peaceful times in the late-680's, the Church was repaired and rebuilt, however the damage from the Proletarians can still be seen today. Most of the additions to the Church after this time had much more significant meaning than earlier additions, starting with the Great Candle in 6m.897. 50 years later, the Flames of Democracy were added, with each lit brazier representing a Moretian country that had adopted democracy as their ideology. In doing so, the Church was brought a little closer to the political life of Moret, and therefore became a subject of modern debate. A few decades later, the Merchant's Wing was added, a somewhat controversial decision that attempted to reduce the net loss of funds sustained by the Church.
The most recently finished modification to the Church of First Light was the installation of Mist-based heating, with boilers set up in the cellars and pipes running throughout the walls. The engineer who designed this heating system, Xaki K'thu, has announced plans of also adding electric lights to the Church.
"The Church takes no sides and holds no grudges; it merely sits silently, ever-growing, watching the decades and centuries pass as though a mountain staring down the ocean. It is as much part of Mitzland history as any Congress or King ever was."~Minister Sampani Victria, 7m.069
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