The Celestial Cathedral
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Info

Originally written and conceptualized by Praetor3005Praetor3005
Translated by ReyDayReyDay
Stardust Theme by VivamusLudioVivamusLudio

Critics/Reviewers:

“This page was not written as something intended to be cohesive and is therefore not something canon in the general Backrooms universe. Think of it instead as a journey through the different stories that Wikidot has been able to offer us.”

Some background music if you want https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f35rFulcemk&list=PLl3ybVvoKXMRp9fMtoGQIm_DT9_ImDi_i&index=44

Page Type Articles
Author Page ReyDay
Levels Level 986
Unnumbered Levels Death’s Door, The Celestial Cathedral(translated)
Sub-Layers Level 800.1
Entities Coming Soon!
Unnumbered Entities Coming Soon!
Objects Object 48 - “Liquid Pain”, Object 33 - “RoboPets”, Object 64 - "Whisperers", Object 5-FR - “Anemophosis”(translated)
Phenomena Coming Soon!
Tales Echo of Creation, Five Years Since You Went Missing, Knight’s Gambit, For Christmas(translated)
Groups Ariane Circle(translated), The Black Knights(owned)
POIs Nyx(translated)
Canons Black Knights(owned)
Joke Pages Coming Soon!
Tech Enchanted Forest Theme, Music Theme, Deep Sea Theme, Tesseract Theme, Ariane Circle Theme(translated)
Guides/Essays Coming Soon!
Art Diana Evelynn, Fia, Tess Welcome Banner

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General

The Celestial Cathedral takes the form of a Gothic-style building with infinite ramifications, seeming to float in the starry vacuum of space. It extends over miles of corridors, crypts, or grandiose halls, each dotted with statues or stained glass windows appearing to narrate certain stories of the Backrooms. The level has similar isolation characteristics to Level 0, meaning that it is not possible to encounter other wanderers there.

Isolation is not a constraint. All this is… a kind of inner journey. A magnificent journey.

- A. Kelvin


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One of the many corridors of the Cathedral, opening on its left onto an atrium.

The Corridors

The Celestial Cathedral has several types of rooms that are repeated throughout the level, but the most common of them remains the corridors. They can extend over at least a few dozen meters, but are most often several kilometers long. However, their width is often the same: about two meters. The walls have been described by the various wanderers as "made of a kind of metallic stone". No attempt to collect samples has been made due to the lack of means, but the concept of it being an unknown material is conceivable. These walls are generally decorated with various patterns and shapes reminiscent of cathedrals of the Frontrooms. However, no symbols relating to an earthly religion are present. Instead, it is possible to find engravings or sculptures in the wall relating important episodes in Backrooms history. For example, it is possible to find engravings relating to the War for Scene-01.1, but also other events more relevant to current groups, such as stories of the Sanctum, or even deeply linked to the M.E.G., for instance, the discovery of Level 94. How the level obtains this information, as well as the means used to represent it, is currently unknown. Indeed, ordinarily1, no other living being has been discovered in the Celestial Cathedral.

This place is a wonderful well of history. I remember getting lost there many times, literally and figuratively, discovering details of this universe that had escaped me until then. This place is absolutely fascinating.

- A. Kelvin

The floor of the corridors is often uniform, made of the same stone as the walls. However, it is possible to find mosaics that, similarly to the engravings, seem to be loaded with history.

On the other hand, these historical sources seem to vary depending on the viewer, sometimes adopting paradoxical views in what they describe.

I remember running into Charlie at the base, after he had ventured into the level. He happily told me that he had taken photos of frescoes that he had discovered just for me. But after studying them, I realized that they seemed to conflict with other sources on the same level. Sometimes, the Hermes Devices were described as having been created by the U.E.C. However, in the photos Charlie brought me, they had been produced by…the Iron Fist? With the brains of living gods? Are these sources really reliable?

- A. Kelvin

The Vacuum of Space

The vastness of space outside is visible only from the windows of the corridors, the sumptuous stained glass windows of the other rooms of the Celestial Cathedral (see below) being too opaque to distinguish the other side. The vacuum of space is dotted with various celestial bodies. Most are stars, whose groupings have been reported to form constellations, in a manner similar to the sky of the Frontrooms. There are multiple reported shapes, some of which do not make sense.

I remember the first time I looked outside. The view was… absolutely magnificent. The contrast between the stone corridor and the immensity of the ocean of stars that rose up before me made it all the more grandiose. I stood in front of that window for hours, contemplating the stars in the distance. Over time, I began to distinguish constellations there. I observed some kind of squid, or even a ball mask. I don't know what made me connect all these stars together, but it didn't spoil the view, quite the contrary.

- A. Kelvin


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A nave of the Celestial Cathedral seen from the outside, hiding what appears to be the light of a star comparable to the Sun of the Frontrooms.

In addition to the stars, it is possible to find some planets resembling other levels of the Backrooms, such as a plastic moon, a space station, a island floating in the void of space, or a near-perfect replica of the planet Mercury. The links that these levels have with the space surrounding the Celestial Cathedral are not fully understood, as they contradict many testimonies coming from said levels.

It is also possible to observe other fragments of the Celestial Cathedral through the windows. Corridors can be found in parallel, making visible the noble external arches that support the roof of the building. In addition, the exterior of some rooms can also be observed.

Surprisingly, some sections of the cathedral have inverted roofs at the bottom of their structure, expanding downwards. However, it does not seem possible to access them, despite several attempts being made. The sprawling structure of the Celestial Cathedral expands on all sides. It is possible, if one looks up, to see long towers or vertical corridors extending as far as the eye can see in some places. Other less significant extensions, such as what looks like small, closed, Gothic bell towers, can also be seen, sometimes expanding downwards, like the aforementioned roofs. Carved details are also very present on the exterior of the cathedral. Although not engravings or sculptures with a specific meaning, they are still notable finishes that, just like on classic Gothic buildings, bring an additional layer of complexity to the level.

The structure of this place has developed without any logic. Towers rise from all sides, sometimes even at angles that make access to them simply unthinkable. Perhaps that is also the magic of this place. A disorder so harmonious in its illogic that it manages to become majestic.

- A. Kelvin

The Nave

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Altar of a nave, surrounded by various stained glass windows.

Although the nave is referred to in the singular, it is a very common structure in the Celestial Cathedral, while being one of the only places that can be considered "large". The place is presented in the form of a large room, lit from the outside by the stars through the stained glass windows. Huge pillars connect the marble and mosaic floor to the sumptuous vaults of the ceiling.

The nave is one of the only places in the Celestial Cathedral where it is possible to observe statues, sometimes carved into the pillars, sometimes standing at the height of the walls or altars. These seem to represent, once again, characters often considered "important" within the human culture of the Backrooms, but especially of the observer. However, some have not been identified and therefore remain unknown figures to this day, although they likely had a certain impact in one way or another on this universe. Apart from the statues, the stained glass windows also seem loaded with history. Just like the engravings in the corridors, the stained glass windows narrate historical events of the Backrooms, the light passing through them giving them a much more beautiful, almost magical appearance. However, unlike the engravings, the stained glass windows only show the wanderer facts that concern them, or at least in part, like a sort of illuminated biography.

I will never forget that day when I entered the nave, and I was as if rooted to the spot in front of the statues in front of me. Charlie, Katya, Arianne, Iris… they were all represented, in marble, studded with gilding that brought out their features. Then I saw myself too. It had the same build, the same clothes, the same face, the details of which were affirmed by what I still assume to be gold. Everywhere around me, I could make out past events in the stained glass windows. The ratification of the Level 4 Agreements, Operation Thanatos. However, there were also others that I did not recognize: a sort of building surrounded by hills; Hermes agents struggling with some sort of long monstrous arm; soldiers in conflict, wearing insignia so small that I could not make them out. What could this possibly mean?

- A. Kelvin

Faith

Faith is a phenomenon unique to the Celestial Cathedral, which seems to influence it to the highest degree. This manifestation is not certain but is considered as such following the numerous testimonies that seem to correlate with the theory it represents.

Faith corresponds to a process by which the beliefs of the wanderer exploring the Celestial Cathedral become real within the level. Two types of occurrences of Faith can occur depending on the type of belief:

The first case is a physical manifestation of the wanderer's conviction. One of the most common examples is when the wanderer is convinced of the presence of hostile entities within the cathedral. Although the level is normally devoid of entities, the person in question will encounter various creatures from the Backrooms during their exploration. Even more strangely, only entities known to the wanderer can be found, which seems to further prove the nature of this strange phenomenon.

Katya had ventured into the cathedral once. I had praised her many times for this peaceful place, where contemplation and discovery were the key words. However, when she returned, she lectured me for hours on the dangers she had encountered. She added that she had done well not to believe me about the absence of entities, because she had been able to put herself on guard. I've never seen one in about ten visits… what was she talking about?

- A. Kelvin

Other cases, such as wanderers claiming to have conversed with their gods or others testifying to having found unknown objects or entities2, which had disappeared from their backpacks upon exiting the level.

The second case of manifestation corresponds to a structural modification of the various historical rooms of the Celestial Cathedral to correspond to the historical beliefs of the wanderers who enter it. Various people have indeed given various testimonies on engravings, stained glass windows or statues presenting characters or stories directly in conflict with the history of the Backrooms as it is known. Some have, for example, claimed to have discovered engravings relating the efforts of a group called the "Masked Maidens" to purge the Backrooms of corruption. Others have attempted to take pictures of statues representing undocumented employees of the Terror Hotel, but these images were deleted from their cameras upon leaving the Celestial Cathedral. Examples of these alternate histories are legion, and the Ariane Circle can only record them as theories, as much information is still lacking.

I often think back to what Charlie told me after returning from the cathedral: stories of gods beyond imagination, of avatars walking among mortals, a legion of warriors with iron weapons sworn to their destruction. Pure fantasy or reality? Perhaps I should savor these stories instead of focusing on their veracity.

- A.Kelvin

Entrances & Exits

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The arch at the base of Level 2 leading into the Celestial Cathedral.

The passages leading into the Celestial Cathedral remain largely unclear. Wanderers usually claim to have no-clipped there when visiting ancient structures, such as in Level 105. The only known and stable entry point is a 5-meter-high, ornate Gothic archway that opens into a wall through which one can noclip into the level. This arch is located in one of the lesser-used corridors of the Team Hermes Base at Level 2 and was discovered by the base historian, Anthony Kelvin, in May of 2018. The entrance has been used extensively by the team as a source of history and a peaceful place to rest the mind.

Exiting the Celestial Cathedral is incredibly easy. One only has to believe in the presence of an exit at the end of the corridor taken or on the other side of a passageway. The forms of these exits vary depending on the level through which the wanderer no-clipped to reach the Cathedral. In the case of the return to the Hermes Base at Level 2, it takes the form of the same arch used to enter, with the exception of the presence of pipes all around it.

So much knowledge, so much history waiting to be discovered remains here, illuminated by the distant lights of the stars. But it is no longer discovery that attracts me more and more often here, but rather contemplation. A free and blissful contemplation, as one imagines the tales told by these timeless works.

A level recording an infinite universe of possibilities. An exciting universe, whatever the themes addressed.

- A. Kelvin


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