Ophelia VII



Ophelia VII is the oldest of the Imperium of Man's Cardinal worlds, second in sanctity only to Terra itself. It is the site of the Synod Ministra and the Adepta Sororitas' Convent Prioris. The world is given over entirely to the worship of the Emperor of Mankind. Its surface is covered in mile-high cathedrals and bell towers, linked by avenues lined with the statues of thousands of Imperial Saints. Dungeons plunge deep into the bowels of the world, where heretics are made to repent their sins, subject to such methods of soul-cleansing as Arco-flagellation, death-masking, soul-scouring and the Trial of Castigation.1

Ophelia VII, rather than Terra, was the actual headquarters of the Adeptus Ministorum from the time of Ecclesiarch Benedin IV to Greigor XI and is still one of the main centres of Ministorum power to this day, second only to Terra. It is located far from its sister planet of Terra, in the galactic south1 or near the Eastern Fringe3 (depending on the source). In the Warhammer 40,000 universe's earlier background, the planet's name was Ophelia 4 or Ophelia IV3, 4.

History
===Pre-adoption as centre of the Imperial Cult === Ophelia VII was the diocese of Benedin IV as an Imperial Cardinal before his ascent to the position of Ecclesiarch and is said to have been the wealthiest planet in the human-settled galaxy after Terra and Mars. This made it an ideal world to host the Adeptus Ministorum when Terra became too much of a politically confining force for the Ecclesiarchy's hierarchy.

===Arrival of the Ecclesiarchy === Benedin IV moved the entirety of the Adeptus Ministorum's apparatus to Ophelia VII and built vast cathedrals over 90,000 square miles of land and 4,000 miles into the sky. Only the Imperial Palace on Terra was a more dominating example of Imperial Gothic architecture. There were three factors in the choice of Ophelia VII to host the Adeptus Ministorum: Benedin IV's personal connections with the world, its vast wealth and the distance it placed between the other High Lords of Terra and the general governance of the Adeptus Ministorum. It allowed the princes of the Ecclesiarchy to raise vast tithes to replenish and invigorate the Ministorum's funds, and encouraged competition between Cardinals on other worlds to build the biggest and most impressive cathedrals and monuments dedicated to the worship of the Emperor and the veneration of his saints. Cults which posed a threat to the Ministorum were rooted out and destroyed by zealous Cardinals, Preachers and Confessors throughout the Imperium and the Ministorum's control over the faith of humanity grew rapidly.

===Departure of the Ecclesiarchy === Almost three hundred years after the Ministorum's arrival in the 36th Millennium, Ecclesiarch Greigor XI decided it was time that the Adeptus Ministorum returned to Terra to take its place among the other High Lords of the Senate Imperialis now that the Ecclesiarchy's political position in the Imperium was largely unimpeachable. It took twelve years and a good deal of the Adeptus Ministorum's funds, however, before the doors to the Ecclesiarchal Palaces on Terra were opened again and refurbished. Ophelia VII would no longer be the centre of the state religion of the Imperium, but it would still be one of the Ecclesiarchy's most sacred sites and its greatest Cardinal world.

High Lord Vandire and the Age of Apostasy
High Lord Goge Vandire rose to power as head of both the Adeptus Ministorum and the Administratum, gaining almost absolute power in the Imperium as a result since no other institution could rival the might of the two united factions that controlled both the secular and religious bureaucracies of the state. Vandire brought his iron fist down on the Cardinals of the Ministorum and eventually his enemies decided it was time to escape the treacherous corridors of Terra; they chose Ophelia VII as their destination; however their ship never left the warp.

Reforms of Sebastian Thor
After the fall of Vandire, Sebastian Thor was elected (some would say forcefully) to the position of Ecclesiarch. He initiated a series of reforms and created the Synod Ministra on Ophelia VII. It was to act as a secondary governing body for the Adeptus Ministorum far from Terra. It would disseminate the laws and actions of the Holy Synod on Terra but also provide a defence against other forces, or even a single Ecclesiarch, attempting to gain control of the Ministorum for nefarious purposes as Vandire had done. Also, the Astra Ministra, administrators of the Ministorum functionaries who serve aboard the starships of the Imperium, is based on Ophelia VII and makes up part of the Synod Ministra.

Sisters of Battle
The Sisters of Battle, the Militant Orders of the Adepta Sororitas who serve as the Ecclesiarchy's armed forces, founded during the reign of Vandire, were split between Terra and Ophelia VII, to insure that no one person could gain control of the whole organisation. There are extensive facilities for the Sisters on both planets, but each Order has a home on both worlds if need be. Two of the most famous Sisters are said to come from Ophelia VII, Saint Praxedes and Helena the Virtuous.