Church of the Unconquered Sun

'St Columba, with twelve companions, brought the word of the Unconquered Sun to Scotland, where he founded a monastery on the blessed isle of Iona. There he died and there his bones remained until the Northmen came.'
'Columbic Crypt'

The Church of the Unconquered Sun was an religious organization that worshipped the Sun-in-Splendor and its Names: the Madrugad, the Meniscate, and the Sun-in-Rags. In the Third and Fourth Histories, the church was extremely powerful. The church’s priests were all male, but would allow women to become priests if they partook of rituals that would allow their ceremonial passing into manhood. Especially sacred rites of the church would be performed in the Concursum, the deepest chambers of the Mansus accessible via the Spider's Door. This implies human sacrifice may have been a core facet of the church’s proceedings.

Doctrine

There is not one single solar doctrine, as it varies across regions and time. There are however a few generalisations that can be made.

One of the most central beliefs in solar doctrine is the selective recognition of Hours. All non-recognized Hours are claimed to be imposters or lesser powers. Before the Intercalate, the church worshipped the Sun-in-Splendor and its Names. After the sun was split the church continued to worship the Names, who at this point had become Hours of their own.

History

There is no information on exactly how or when the church came into being. One of the church's real life parallels, the roman cult of Sol Invictus saw prominence in the third century AD, before being overshadowed by the church's other parallel, the Catholic Church. This could put the Church of the Unconquered Sun's founding sometime around then.

One of the earliest known events relating to the Church of the Unconquered Sun is the missionary work of St Columba, who spread the word of the Unconquered Sun to Scotland. While we don't know exactly when this happened in the secret histories, but in real life St Columba arrived in Scotland around 563 AD.

At some point before the War of the Roads, the Sisterhood of the Knot influenced the ideologies of the church. Some within the church’s ranks were appalled by this paradigm shift, Hieronymus Pseudo-Hypnerotomachus being one such critic. The Sisterhood’s influences may have touched even the church’s most sacred rites - those performed in the Concursum within the Mansus. According to The High Mysteries of the Innermost Chamber of our Church Solar, these rites include corollaries for the non-solar Hours: the Red Grail, the Ring-Yew, the Horned Axe, and the Thunderskin, which were worshipped by the Sisterhood, what can be a result of that influence.

The Church of the Unconquered Sun, alongside the Sisterhood of the Knot, mounted a defense of the European Continent against the invading armies of the Sovereigns of the Leashed Flame in the War of the Roads. It's possible that Imperishable Legions mentioned in the 'How the End Will Begin' are the church's forces.

The church was weakened severely during the war. The Intercalate, which came two years after the war’s end, succeeded in destroying the already-fragile church. The death of the Sun-in-Splendor caused a schism in the organization, which dissolved the bonds of its power and effectively ended the institution. It's said that it was driven underground in many Histories, however, it's unclear whether it happened prior or after the Intercalate.

Known Members

Known Saints

• St Columba: Spread the word of the Unconquered Sun to Scotland.

• St Januarius: Patron saint of boundaries.

• St Lucia the Eyeless: Patron saint of glassworkers, and Name of the Meniscate.

• St Uzult: The Encaustum Terminale of the first history.

Other Notable Members

• Hieronymus Pseudo-Hypnerotomachus: Author of Against the Sisterhood of the Knot and the Foulness of their Depraved Customs.

Other Notes

• The Solar Church is likely inspired by the worship of Sol Invictus, a solar deity from the later Roman Empire, whose name translates literally to "Unconquered Sun". Their veneration may have been a revival of the cults of Sol or Elagabalus. Many Historians claim that the current date of Christmas was set to replace a festival of the Sol Invictus on that day.
• Churches of the Unconquered Sun sometimes contained unobtrusive shrines to Uzult, the ink used by the Unwise Mortal to record the First History.
• Reverend Timothy, the Rector of Brancrug, is ordained by the Church of the Unconquered Sun, which suggests the Church has not been ended or driven underground at least in that History.