Christianity in Themiclesia

Christianity in Themiclesia is the most popular organized religion, with over 3 million registered parishioners across several ecclesiastical bodies, the largest of which are the Apostolic Church of Themiclesia, the Sylvan Catholic Church, and the Lutheran Church of Themiclesia.

Terminology

• 泰示 (qlād-gris), lit. "great god"
• 帝示 (tīg-gris), lit. "legitimate god" = monogenēs,
• 神 (smlin), lit. "spirit"

Church architecture

In the 15th century, the solitary cathedral belonging to the Apostolic Church was built in 1465 with viceregal patronage in Kien-k'ang as a large hall twelve bays long and five deep (one spanned) in the local style. It did not have a cruciform shape until it was rebuilt after the fire of 1541. As opposed to Buddhist temples which tend to use their side parallel to the ridge as the front, churches were built with the orientation of royal palaces, i.e. with the direction of veneration towards the west. This is contrary to the usual eastern orientation in other countries. While other architectural forms were introduced to Themiclesia, there occurred a period of intermixture of forms owing to rapidly shifting affiliations during the 16th and 17th centuries, with the result that most Themiclesian churches are architecturally similar until the modern period.

Themiclesian churches of any size, save the smallest, were typically divided into more or less even halves, with the west side as the chancel and the east side the nave. Depending on the scale of the church, the chancel side may include several chapels, but the nave is typically left open and undivided. In the chancel side there is a sanctuary containing a high altar and room for the clergy, surrounded by a wall or curtain if it does not occupy the entire chancel. The sanctuary is divided from the nave by means of a rood screen, where the great rood or crucifix was mounted, and there may be further screens to partition the chancel for various groups, such as a ritual choir or a cathedra (episcopal throne). The altar may be enclosed by a screen, canopy, or baldachino, with the canopy the more common in churches with royal patronage.

The rood screen (象屏, sghang-bing; lit. "screen of images") is one of the defining features of the Themiclesian church, as it is the furthest part of the church associated with the laity and is in full view of the congregation. The rood screen could be richly decorated even if other parts of the church lack ornaments, as lay parisoners may, at their own expense, improve the screen and demonstrate their affluence within the context of religious devotion. It is not uncommon to see rood screens adorned with painting and sculpture of both sacred figures and lay donors, and there was no objection as long as the donors are depicted in an appropriately religious state. It is likewise common for donors to use their own images under the names of saints, unless they contradict the church's artistic canon. There may be a rood loft to access the rood and the statue of Saint Mary, and where more painting and statuary are located.

See also

• Themiclesia
• Religion in Themiclesia