The Starry Sept is the largest and most historical Sept in Oldtown. Centuries past it was the seat of the Faith of the Seven and its head, the High Septon. Since the building of Baelor's Sept and the High Septon's moving there the Starry Sept has fallen only slightly in importance, now headed by the current Septon of the Starry Sept, Sebastian Hightower.
History[]
The Starry Sept was built by Lord Triston Hightower, in honor of his mentor and earlier regent, Septon Robeson.
When Aegon I Targaryen landed at the mouth of the Blackwater Rush, the High Septon in Oldtown locked himself inside the Starry Sept and prayed for seven whole days while refusing to eat or drink. At the end of the seventh day he emerged from his fast and declared that the Faith of the Seven would not fight Aegon's Conquest, proclaiming that if they did Oldtown would burn and the Starry Sept would be destroyed. Lord Manfred Hightower heeded the prophecy and welcomed Aegon when he appeared before his gates. Aegon was then annointed in the Faith when he became Lord of the Seven Kingdoms.
Design[]
The towering Sept of black marble which stood on an island in the Honeywine near the city's center was surpassed only by the Hightower itself in height and majesty, for in days of old it had been the center of Westeros' faith. Even now it took a central part in the lives of the folk, its large and beautiful bells tolling each morning with the sun's rising as hundreds made their way for morning service.
The tall bridges leading to the Starry Isle (For this is what it had come to be called) were made of smooth crafted stone, the four posts of the bridge carved into the likeness of growing trees whose branches reached across as handrails to meet at the center. The isle itself was lined with hedgerows, the Sept's courtyard almost devoid of foliage and often serving as a gathering place after services for the housewives and husbands wishing to trade and barter goods with one another in the face of that towering buildings whose massive clear windows seemed to almost shine a light outwards upon those gathered.
Yet the interior of the Sept was even grander, towering composite columns of black marbled reached up towards the ceiling, which then rose even further into a large dome running the length of the Sept. Those walls and ceilings not opened up with large windows to allow light to filter in were covered in beautiful gold and and green trimmings and frescos detailing the heroes and holy acts of the Faith past. Alters lined the sides of the Sept, one to Six aspects of the Seven, (The Stranger's shrine consisted of a small grotto beneath the Sept.) draped in beautiful silks and velvets of the colour belonging to its own particular aspect.
Grandest of all was the Altar to all Seven Aspects, which rested at the farthest end of the Sept. The massive marble altar's facade held seven statues which nearly rivaled the size of men, clustered about in other small alcoves on the altar's back were smaller statues depicting Heroes of the Faith. Apart from the doorways to the sacristies, the walls on either side of the High Altar were filled with alcoves bearing a statue of every High Septon remembered by history.