Sanctuary

"This is the sanctuary. It was build by my great-grandfather to honor the memory of the assassin order and protect its secrets"

―Mario Auditore about the sanctuary

The Sanctuary from its entrance.

The Sanctuary is a location in both Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. It was created by Domenico Auditore, and served as a tribute to the greatest Assassins in history, who safe-guarded humanity when it was most threatened. Found underneath the Auditore Family Villa, its entrance is concealed behind a tall bookcase in Mario Auditore's study. It was revealed by Mario to his nephew Ezio Auditore as he became devoted to the Assassin's Creed.

It is characterized notably by seven statues of seven legendary Assassins. Six of these statues are missing seals that must be collected in order to unlock the gate in front of the seventh statue of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad. This seventh statue also holds the set of indestructible armor fashioned by Altaïr centuries before.

During the Siege of Monteriggioni, a passageway behind the statue of Altaïr served as an escape route for Ezio, his family, and some surviving townspeople. The hidden door led them into the tunnels under Monteriggioni, which were also connected to the Auditore Family Crypt.

Centuries later in modern times, Desmond Miles and Lucy Stillman traversed that same path to unlock the bookcase entrance, in order for Rebecca Crane and Shaun Hastings to gain access to the Sanctuary. The modern Assassins then used the Sanctuary as refuge, since their first hideout had been found and assaulted by Abstergo. However, as the Sanctuary had no electricity, Desmond first free ran around modern Monteriggioni to reroute electricity into the Sanctuary.

Statues

From left to right:

• Qulan Gal
• Darius
• Wei Yu
• Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad
• Amunet
• Iltani
• Leonius

Trivia

• The circular grate in the courtyard at the back of the Auditore Family Villa is actually the top of the Sanctuary, which allows light in.
  • In Brotherhood, though the grate at the top of the Sanctuary appears broken from the inside, when viewed from the outside, it seems undamaged.
• In Assassin's Creed II, you can examine all the statues except Altaïr's, and gain information about the Assassin. In Brotherhood, only the statue of Altaïr may be interacted with, resulting in a racist comment that involves Desmond using a stereotypical Italian accent.
• The secret exit used during the siege of Monteriggioni is present in Assassin's Creed II, however, it is blocked by a pile of logs.
• Although all of the assassin statues (other than the one of Altair) have the small skulls that are gripped by Ezio to reveal a hidden passage and or open a container, they are not practical and are simply just for show

Gallery

• Desmond arguing with Shaun in the Sanctuary.
  Desmond arguing with Shaun in the Sanctuary.
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  Shaun Hastings in the Sanctuary.
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  Modern-day Assassins in the Sanctuary.
• The modern-day Assassins making use of the Animus.
  The modern-day Assassins making use of the Animus.