Cathedral of the Holy Cross

The Cathedral of the Holy Cross was a major church and landmark located at the southern tip of the city of Acre in the Kingdom of Jerusalem during the Third Crusade. It stood near King Richard's citadel and the market before it, and ranked among the busier gathering places in the city. In 1191, the cathedral's left spire was missing, either due to damage sustained during that year's siege or due to construction efforts.

History

When Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad came to Acre in 1191 to assassinate the city's regent, William of Montferrat, the local Assassin Bureau's Rafiq pointed him towards the cathedral, among other spots, as a place well suited to gathering information on his target. There, Altaïr found a herald preaching before the church, denouncing King Richard while extolling William as the leader the people ought to follow. The Assassin interrogated the man, learning that a quarrel with the visiting king would soon leave William distracted at his citadel, giving Altaïr the opening he needed.

Behind the scenes

The Cathedral is meant to be Acre's main cathedral known as the Church of the Holy Cross which was built in the quarters of the Patriarch.

However, the church was destroyed long ago and archaeologists have discovered only its foundations therefore there is no available information on the church's appearance. As such the in game cathedral appears to be modeled after the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres in Chartres, France. However, this is anachronistic as the Gothic Chartres cathedral was built in 1194-1252 and the change from Romanesque to Gothic architecture was only being developed in Europe at that time with Gothic architecture being introduced to Acre in the 13th century after the setting of Assassin's Creed.

Gallery

• 
  Concept art
• 
  Altaïr looking at the cathedral
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  Altaïr in front of the cathedral
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  The main entrance to the cathedral
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  Altaïr on top of the cathedral's intact tower

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed