Santa Sophia

Santa Sophia, Witness of the First Prophet

Sophia¹ was one of the Witnesses of the First Prophet; the rest of Theah considers her to have been from the Cresent Empire or from its border with Vodacce, but the Vodacce firmly claim her as one of their own. Churches dedicated to her are fairly common in Vodacce. In the Book of the Prophets, she is the Witness with the most contemplative or mystical bent. Those who claim her as a patron often believe that it was her deep thinking on the teachings of the First Prophet that led to the scientific method that is the Church's principle road to knowing Theus through His works.

Santa Sophia, Monfalcone's Newest Church

The church of Santa Sophia in Monfalcone is new, by local standards - no more than 150 years old. Its clean lines and simple form reflect the architectural movement of the time, which hearkened back to the marble buildings and geometric obsessions of the Numan Empire. Its construction was sponsored by the Donati family, and they have maintained a hand in its administration ever since.

Father Angelo Donati is the pastor here, assisted by the orphaned acolyte Pietra and Father Turri. Father Sergio, just graduated from the seminary, has recently joined them.

Father Angelo Donati has made an especial ministry to the misguided poor - that is, the violent criminals of Monfalcone. He heavily preaches the First Prophet's message of individual dignity and goodness, seeking to redeem the wayward. Many people would like to suspect Father Donati of ulterior motives, but his natural charisma makes it very difficult to sustain such suspicion. Nor can his motives be examined by supernatural means; the pastor is Unbound (which greatly discomfits his strega parishoners). The practical result of all of this is that Father Donati can claim credit for a charitable movement that seeks out the poor where they are and offers them assistance in the name of Theus. In these latter days of Objectionism and calls for reform, this return to simple compassion makes a strong impression on many.

Father Fillipo Turri is the associate pastor, aged fifty-something. Father Turri's great gift is a flexible mind and good knowledge of Church canon law. He can, with little warning, whip up an excuse for nearly any behavior and justify it as good in the eyes of the Church. These excuses might not hold up to a rigorous examination by church canon lawyers, but are usually good enough for whatever important person is asking. This ability alone should have been enough to guarantee Turri's fortunes, as a personal confessor to a nobleman if nothing else. Unfortunately, he is deficient in nearly all other areas; every time he has been given a higher position, he has made a hash of it. He admires and resents Father Donati at the same time, but has no ideas about taking Santa Sophia from him. It would just be a matter of months before he misplaced the treasury or accidentally destroyed the holy relics and would be replaced by the bishop.

Father Sergio, just nineteen, is a new arrival from the seminary. Unlike Father Donati, who is a nobleman, and Father Turri, whose family are artisans, Father Sergio was the son of a Mondavi rice farmer. His parish priest noticed that the peasant boy was unusually bright and had an excellent memory for scripture, and arranged to have him enter church orders. Sergio might have made a better monk - he is most at home arguing theology with other priests. He lacks the courtly experience to be at ease around the nobility, and his long stay within the seminary walls has made him too intellectual and dreamy to fit in with his father's class.

Pietra, thirteen, is one of the acolytes at Santa Sophia. These young people have taken mild vows and are expected to go on to become priests or monks. Some will not, by personal inclination, which the Church officially endorses. The acolyte's disappointed parents and relatives are a different story...

Pietra was adopted from the Sisters of Enlightened Reason by Father Donati when she was ten. She serves as his personal assistant, quietly ensuring that the right papers and people make their way to his office when needed. Only Father Sergio questioned the propriety of this relationship, and then only when he first arrived. Father Donati's sterling reputation and clearly paternal affection for Pietra kill any other possible motives.