Siresian Monastery of Cathantaea

The Chuch and part of the Monastery

The Siresian Monastery of Cathantaea is an important Baroque architectural complex located in Cathantaea, Blackhelm Confederacy. Aside from its architectural and aesthetic attractiveness, the facility serves as a monastery for the Siresian Order to this day, and is home to several dozen monks.

Origin

Aerial view of the Church and Monastery

The foundation of the Siresian Monastery of Cathantaea and the attached church dates back to the reign of Tiberius III. Tiberius sought to settle the still rough and tumble northern coastline, and asked the Siresian Order for assistance by offering them various benefits and advantages.

The first portion of the complex, the small Church of St. John the Baptist, was completed in 1568, and the chapel of Our Lady of Mount was finished the following year. Much of the chapel was in fact donated to the order by the then Bishop of Cathantaea, Antonius Barreirus. On October 26, 1577, nearly five years after the death of Tiberius III, the Monastery was finally finished, and the first Siresian holymen took up residence within.

The Monastery

Altar in the main chapel

Closer view of the artwork behind the altar

The monastery was finished in 1577 , but was subsequently destroyed in 1601 when a fire consumed much of the city. The site was soon rebuilt, returning to operation in 1616, and was subsequently expanded to its present day size over the years. In time, the monastery also acquired a large number of artistic and stylized pieces such as gilded valances, tropical wood carvings, paintings and episodes from the life of St. Siresius, as well as portraits of old abbots and other Siresian teachers in the country, as well as rich furniture. Several of the monasteries monks are also entombed in the cloister.

Over time the Order in Cathantea was enlarged and enriched, and by the mid 19th century presided over a property which counted 16 manor houses, 24 single-story houses, several farm buildings, a sugar plantation, a lumber mill , and nearly three hundred servants.

The Church

The construction of the present church of St. Siresius began roughly in 1620 , after the fire of the old complex, and was completed in 1631. Its facade, designed by master mason Marcellus Nulliuss Sorellus, presents a sober frontispiece, with carved solid wood doors, a stone frame, and a center that is surmounted by a framed oculus flanked by large windows with iron railings. In the pediment with volutes there is a bas-relief with the coat of arms of the Siresian Order. To the right, a tower with a carillon .

Inside the building, one can find the magnificent high altar in cedar wood and entirely gold plated , built between 1683 and 1686, which is considered to be one of the most beautiful and significant examples of gilt in the Blackhelm Confederacy. Restored in 2001 , there was a great deal of controversy when the alter was temporarily removed and displayed in Paradise City the following year as the main attraction of Northern Reaches exhibition, meant to drive more tourists to visit the northern parts of the country. The exhibit lasted only six months, and afterwards the altar was replaced back in the monastery.

The ceiling is decorated with paintings representing passages of the life of the holy founder of the Order and its monks. From the roof also hangs three silver lamps, installed at some point in the eighteenth century .

The church also has a pulpit with canopy and side altars with images created throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and the choir boasts a life-size Christ image of crucified and surrounded by angels. Also in the choir is the clay sculpture of the Infant Jesus of Cathantaea, made by Father Augustus di Paradisa between 1635 and 1639 .

The sacristy is the richest in Cathantaea, with furniture carved in cedar and decorated with crystal panels, as well as mirrored walls and a ceiling depicting the life of St. Siresius, created by Julius Concellus around 1785 . The sacristy is also home to a preserved fourteenth century painting, created before the construction of the monastery, depicting the death of Saint Misrav. This painting was given as a gift to the monastery in the late nineteenth century. Other important pieces are the gilded altarpiece and a panel depicting Our Lady of Sorrows .