Type: Cathedral class station.
Location: Elora System, Traverse (500ly from the Earth).
Population : 5.5 million
Dimensions: 7 kilometres long, 1.5 kilometre wide.
Age: 58 years
Environment: Diverse urban ecosystems
Allegiance: Omphal Organisation

Orbiting Elora's primary star, Cathedral Station is a large O'Neill cylinder established in 0.99 by Earth-based pilgrims. Originally envisioned as an independent spiritual colony, Cathedral Station grew to prominence when catholic antipope Julia X chose it as her new seat of power after a Terran schism. In 1.07, when Migrant-class vessel Darb ut-Tabānah was chosen as the primary site for interstellar pilgrimage in extraterrestrial Islam, Cathedral Station became its permanent port. In the following decades, the O'Neill cylinder turned into a large interfaith station and the main node of many a monotheistic pilgrimage. Administered by the Omphal, the urban station houses a remarkably multicultural society, even for Traverse standards. Muslims generally refer to the station as Darb ut-Tabānah Port -- while Cathedral Station is the megastructure's official name, it is heavily Christian-coded and as such rightfully not accepted by all.

While it was originally planned for Cathedral Station to be a green station -- closer in urban density to Gondwana Port than Babylon Station -- its status as the single largest orbital religious centre in human space led to a complete redefinition of the station's land planning policy. Fifty years after its creation, Cathedral Station is a crowded, definitely urban megastructure centred around its multiple centres of worship. Freed from the constraints of Earth-like gravity -- simulated centrifugal gravity on Cathedral only nears 0.3 gees -- mosques, basilicas and churches tower in the sky, their ornaments reflecting the stark light of Elora's main star. While the station's five arms were originally segregated between faiths, Christian and Muslim buildings are now entirely inter-weaved, to the point several mosques turn into churches halfway through and vice versa. The vast majority of each religion's branches are represented. If Interstellar Catholicism occupies an entire arm, with Saint Julia's Basilica as the seat of power of the antipope, the protestant and orthodox faith are also present on the station. The Darb ut-Tabānah only co-orbits with Cathedral Station, but it exerts influence over a large part of the megastructure, with several major mosques -- including the mosque-library of the Thousand Azures -- dotting the surface of the arms. Many architectural styles coexist, from Low Age inspired buildings to new creations made of Eloran coral and asteroid iron. In recent years, a few Hebrew and Hindu communities coming from Elora itself have settled on the station as well. Compared to the relative dogmatism of the Earth, Cathedral Station appears as the world's largest producer of new theological doctrines and religious art.

The Station is officially administered by the Omphal, a non-confessional organisation that aims at furthering human faith in general. In practice, however, the station is under the influence of the Eloran Ekumen and more specifically qith Masani, whose expertise is invaluable in keeping the station's urban ecosystems in balance.

Illustration from Posthuman Studios for Eclipse Phase, CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0.