Burial of an Ammanian Archbishop

Burial of an Ammanian Archbishop in the Ammanian District of Dervera-5

An account by a late 27th-century monk

   The flash frozen body, arrayed in pontifical robes of gray taffeta garnished with bronze and silver, rested in the chapel on a basalt altar, covered with blue gold-bordered velvet, and surrounded with candles. The interior of the chapel was draped in purple. The head of the corpse reclined on a crimson velvet pillow, ornamented with beryl gems, and bore on the brow a braided crown. Close to it rose the banner of the general, a rank held by the archbishop by virtue of his office as governor of the Ammanian colony. At the right shoulder lay the pastoral staff, and in the right hand the Ammanian sword of office; at the feet were two royal maces of gilt carrinbeast ivory, and between them the Archbishop’s hat.

   For four months a constant stream of visitors appeared at the cathedral to kiss the beloved face, while monks held vigils, masses, and chants here and at other temples. The bells tolled solemnly, and every person bore some sign of mourning.

   On the day of internment, a great crowd gathered to escort the body to the outer cathedral tomb. First in the procession were school children with white lighted candles; then came the eight brotherhoods, according to age, with standards, images, and other paraphernalia; the different monastic orders came next with over twelve hundred monks. The coffin followed, having at the feet a cap with white tassel, the insignia of a master of theology. Behind were borne the cross and sword, draped in royal blue. On either side of the coffin strode the Amman guard. Following the guard came the deacons; the civil justices; the university proctors bearing the insignia of the faculty; the municipal officials, preceded by their police; the family; the Terran federal officers, carrying a red standard with federal arms in gold; three companies of infantry in lines of eleven, with arms reversed, marching to the sound of muffled drums and fifes; the Amman Household Guard bearing aloft on a half-pike the arms of the deceased, gilded on a blue surface; the master of horse, leading a steed in deep mourning with a long blue train; another gentleman, on horseback, bore the guide-on of general, with Ammanian arms on red velvet. The procession closed with the servants of the palace.

   Between the cathedral and the outer cathedral, five platforms had been erected as resting-places for the coffin as it was transferred between bearers. The Amman Guard bore it from the cathedral to the first platform; then the cathedral monks, the municipal authorities, the university proctors, and the trade corporation representatives carried it successively, the Amman Guard taking it from the last platform into the outer cathedral, where it was placed on a lofty podium, amid a blaze of lights. As the guards approached, they lowered the standards and set them at the head of the coffin. On the left rested the archbishop's coat of arms; on the right were the cross and the sword. The coffin was buried at midnight by the high altar, on the coreward side. It was a glorious sending forth.

   During the prayer hours, each religious order came to chant masses, assisted by ecclesiastic and civil representatives. On the following day, the members of the procession marched in the same order as before to the outer cathedral, where a vigil was chanted, and a funeral oration delivered in Ammanian verse. The day after, a funeral sermon was preached by the newly appointed Archbishop.

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