The Sasau Monastery, situated north of the town of Sasau, was the home of many of the region's monks.
History[]
500 years earlier, the Monastery was established by Saint Procopius, and then occupied by heretics upon his death, until it was eventually restored to the Rule of St. Benedict. In 1403, the monks still follow the 700 year old rules of Saint Benedict of Nursia, living sheltered lives unconcerned with the outside world, following the tenant of obedience, work and prayer.
At the time Henry visited it, the Monastery was undergoing major construction work, and had recently experienced an accident resulting in the death of Jarek, one of the stonemasons working on the site, leading to rumours of a curse. It was also the location of the infirmary, and many of the injured citizens of Skalitz were sent to there to receive treatment.
Henry will need to infiltrate the Monastery as part of A Needle in a Haystack.
Codex entry[]
Sasau Monastery is situated on a cliff above one of the many meanders of Sasau River, which isolates it on various sides. Its origins date back to the first half of the 11th century, when it was founded by Duke Oldřich at the instigation of the monk Procopius. Saint Procopius (canonized in 1204) became renowned particularly for wanting to preserve the Old Church Slavonic religious rites in the monastery, rather than adopting the Latin liturgy. According to the oldest document mentioning the construction and development of Sasau Monastery, "Vita Maior; the 11th Century Legend of Saint Procopius", the saint initially lived in a cave before building a church consecrated to the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist.
The monastery of the Slavonic brothers imitate the design of the Abbey of St. Gall in Switzerland. The main building in the complex was the church with an adjoining wooded cloister. The original dwelling of the abbot was located on the western side of the courtyard, below the presbytery. The monastery garden is situated in the northern part of the grounds. Here remnants of the first Sasau stone church, consecrated in 1070 to the Holy Cross, have been unearthed.
After the expulsion of the Old Church Slavonic monks from Sasau, the monastery was taken over by Latinist monks from Břevnov. Abbot Dêthart continued with the rebuilding works, completing a simple, single-nave church in his lifetime. From the mid-12th century onwards, work resumed on the original plans and the abbey church was reconstructed into a massive, ornamented, three-nave basilica. The oldest, simple wooden edifices from the beginnings of the monastery included in the cloiser (monks' quarters), the prelature (abbot's quarters) and the infirmary (hospital for monks). The cloiser around the elysian courtyard consisted of a quadrangle hallway with window openings, the monk's dormitory, the chapter house, the study, the refectory (dining hall) and kitchen.
Inhabitants[]
- Monastery Sanctum
- Monastery Grounds
- Brother Nicodemus
- Karel
- Inquisitor Jaroslav
- Inquisitor's Assistant
- Inquisitor's Guards
- Overseer
- Baron Sebastian vom Berg, the Custodian
- Custodian's Scribe
- Urban the Guard
- Outer Monastery
Landmarks[]
- Church
- Monastery Sanctum
- Inner Monastery
- Outer Monastery
- Forge
- Twins Mills of Sasau Monastery
- Butchers
Notes[]
The Monastery Sanctum seems to have its own pool of Sasau Guards that spawn if the Monks notice you and call the guards. They spawn even if you kill all the Sasau guards outside of the Sanctum.