Treehold Cathedral

The great cathedral in Treehold serves as a worship place for Initiaism. While not the only church of the sort in Treehold, it is the largest and oldest in the city. The sitting priest of Treehold, often considered the theological authority of Initiaism, officiates from this cathedral.
In the secular sphere, the history and artistry contained in the building make it an essential point of study for fine artists, architects, historians, and others in related fields. It is also a popular tourist destination, although as it also is a functioning house of worship into the modern age, there are some boundaries in place. Photography in the cathedral is not allowed during services, and tourists are wantonly shooed from the building if they create a disturbance.

Upon entering the primary chamber, the first thing to be seen is the massive statue of the primary gods of the Initiaism pantheon.   At the rear is the Initiator themself, holding representations of the blazing sun and a crescent moon in their hands. To their left stands Lady Turavus, from whose hands pours a flowing fountain of water. To the right is Lord Hogimal, who calls forth a similar fountain of lava. In front of the Initiator and between his brother and sister stands Ses’ser, who holds a floating chunk of Endstone. At the very front just behind the alter proper is a statue of Lord Herobrine, blindfolded and holding a shepherd’s crook.

Construction on the cathedral began in the early Netherite Age, commissioned by Queen Lucretia Chase and the Treehold sector of Initiaism. The project was funded by donations from wealthy benefactors and faithful commonfolk alike. It took twenty years for the basic structure alone to be completed, and the detail work lasted well into the reign of Gabriel II. Several generations of sculptors, painters, glassworkers, stonemasons, metal casters, carpenters, and tailors created the cathedral's magnificent features.
The cathedral's most iconic features, the giant statues depicting the five main gods of Initiaism, were not part of the original building plan. Hailith Chase commissioned then during her reign in the midst of giddiness over a prosperous fiscal year in Treehold. That she was known for calling for alterations to old structures (see -- her insistence on having the diorite floor in the castle ballroom replaced with quartz) likely contributed to that decision too. Each statue took over a year to construct. The sculptor, whom history has only recorded as Hi-usalen (Ender, "one who is trusted"), reportedly struggled the most with the statue of Ses'ser, who holds a levitating chunk of End stone. Aquiring the rare material from a forbidden dimension was a challenge unto itself (supposedly, the Chase lineage provided Hi-usalen with the stone), and to make it levitate indefinitely was thought an impossibility. In the end, a combination of repulsed magnets and air magic created the levitation effect.
Apart from maintenance and minor alterations (such as the replacement of lackluster, abstract stained glass with windows depicting various saints of Initiaism), few major changes were made to the cathedral until the reign of Richard II. Notoriously a follower of the Jallar Heresy, he strongly objected to images of Herobrine in the cathedral. Following much pressure from the king, the clergy had all visual depictions of the nature god, his child, and associated saints removed. Its huge size notwithstanding, they were even forced to take down the statue of Herobrine in the centre chamber. The removed artworks were placed in storage in a cellar beneath the Treehold Abbey of St. Teleos. Richard II ordered the clergy to "destroy those heinous images" but the church secretly refused and kept them hidden. Following the king's assassination, the statue and other artworks were restored to their proper places.