Cathedral of Incarnation

"Perhaps there were monuments bigger, more extravagant or more significant, but surely there were none that had been built with such devotion. The laying of each brick had been itself an act of worship."

- Cranter Grant, On The Marvels of Sit-Valour

The Cathedral of Incarnation is a Majestisure cathedral located in the radiant district of Sit-Valour. It was dedicated to Our Majesty of Empire, patron Majesty of the human race whose capital city is Sit-Valour. It is considered one of the finest temples to the Majesties in the Homelands. It is the principal place of worship for inhabitants of the capital district and meeting place for the high prelates of the Church of Majestisure. The Cathedral of Incarnations is so named for the shrines that line its walls, allowing the spirits of true-dead Thaumaturges to incarnate within the cathedral and dwell there for a time.
With the disappearance of the Majesties this sacred power has been lost and the Cathedral of Incarnation has become a place of hope and desperation in equal measure.
_

Purpose / Function

The Cathedral of Incarnation was created to be the heart of Majesty worship in the human province. People flocked in from the streets to fill its enormous central chamber and hear sermons from the highest ranking prelates in the land. Visitors from across the Homelands came to bask in the cathedral's numinous warmth, give thanks to the Majesties for the peace they have granted the empire and pray for further boons in return for pious servitude. On festival days the chamber would be filled with celebrants engaged in song, and lambs and calves would be sacrificed on the main pulpit for the glory of the Majesties.
Beyond the grand chamber, in the lower regions of the cathedral are the sleeping dens: Large halls filled with rows of cots intended for use by vagrants or travelers in need of rest. Also in this section are the sanatoria, where medical clerics invoked the blessings of the Majesties to cure illness and injury.
Above the dens lies a labyrinth of halls and smaller chambers serving as chapels, libraries, studies and private quarters for the clerics of the cathedral. Some of these chapels and libraries are open to the public to take part in more somber worship and learning not available in the oft crowded grand chamber, while others are reserved for clerics and prelates of the church to engage in private prayer and study.
Dispersed throughout the inner walls of the cathedral at irregular intervals are sanctified shrines, each bearing a statue of a Thaumaturge's likeness where that Thaumaturge may bind their soul. Upon death their soul returns to the hallowed halls of the cathedral to remanifest their bodies from ethereal light and resurrect once more so as to continue their faithful duty to the Majesties. After a Thaumaturge's final death their soul lingered within their shrine, dispensing wisdom to those worthy of communing with these legendary saints.
At the highest levels are the chambers of the High Prelates and First Prelate, head of the human branch of the church of Majestisure.
Following the disappearance of the Majesties the Cathedral of Incarnations has been mobbed by desperate worshipers trying to commune with the fallen Thaumaturges and Our Majesty of Empire, though neither are to be found within these once hallowed halls and its numinous warmth has been replaced with an inescapable chill.
_

Architecture

Originally the site of a cluster of churches just beyond the old Sit-Valour, like the city itself it soon grew to subsume all the disparate structures into one greater homogeneous mass. The Cathedral itself is largely rectangular and vast enough to take 10 minutes to walk its length and is two-thirds that in breadth and half of it in height. It is surrounded by a cemetery of stone ring-posts in the traditional Majestisure style.
Its grand Caen stone walls are lined with countless statues of individuals in a state of rapturous worship. The lower walls are lined with human statues though the higher statues depict individuals with angelic wings before reaching the roof which is lined in its entirety with stone doves. These walls are supported by immense buttresses, each engraved with processions of robed figures bowed in prayer.
The front of the cathedral is almost entirely consumed by a circular stained glass window surrounded by four smaller ones. The central window depicts Our Majesty of Empire wielding their signature flaming sword, with each of the other windows decorated with the image of one of the remaining four Majesties. The other three walls possess tall stained windows at ground level, with clear windows as you go up, many with balconies.
The roof of the Cathedral of Incarnations is a large glass dome, allowing the grand chamber to be illuminated by natural light. It is decorated with five pointed stars.
_

Cathedral of Incarnation

Founding Date

00799

Alternative Names

First Basilica, Halls of Resurrection

Type

Cathedral / Great temple

Parent Location

Sit-Valour

Owner

Edwina Altruoys

Ruling/Owning Rank

First Prelate

Owning Organization

Church of Majestisure

*Photo by Savatore Dinicola on Unsplash