Light's Dawn Cathedral

Light's Dawn Cathedral.

The inside of the cathedral.

Light's Dawn Cathedral is a massive building located in the Cathedral Quarter, at the center of Gilneas City. The cathedral is home to the Gilnean clergy of the Church of the Holy Light.^[1]

History

Cataclysm

This section concerns content related to Cataclysm.

Prior to the invasion of Gilneas, Light's Dawn Cathedral was the site of a last stand by the Northgate rebels against a horde of feral worgen, as part of a diversion set up by King Genn Greymane and Lord Darius Crowley to allow Gilnean citizens to evacuate safely to Duskhaven.^[2] Under Crowley's orders, his men fortified their position inside the cathedral^[3] and brought their cannons to protect its entrance. When enough worgen were lured into the Cathedral Quarter by the Gilnean adventurer, the rebels slaughtered them until they ran out of ammunition and retreated inside.^[4] Although they fought as long as they could, however, Crowley and his followers were eventually overwhelmed by the beasts and became worgen themselves.^[5]

During the Forsaken occupation, a meeting took place with Sylvanas Windrunner, High Executor Crenshaw, and General Warhowl at the cathedral. As the envoy of Garrosh Hellscream, Warhowl questioned the loss of control over Gilneas and reminded them that the use of the New Plague was strictly forbidden; an order she decided to ignore while Tobias Mistmantle and the adventurer were spying on them.^[6]

During the liberation of Gilneas, a vanguard force of the 7th Legion infiltrated Gilneas City and liberated it using submarines.^[7] They made the Cathedral Quarter's courtyard their base of operations and Master Sergeant Pietro Zaren, the commander of the Alliance forces in the capital, could be found at the doorway of the cathedral.

The cathedral was ultimately abandoned when the Alliance and Horde forces left Gilneas City at the end of the conflict.^[8]

Battle for Azeroth

This section concerns content related to Battle for Azeroth.

When Princess Tess Greymane was sent by Goldrinn into the Emerald Dream's version of Gilneas City to learn more about the worgen curse,^[9] Light's Dawn Cathedral was inaccessible and covered with brambles and lush vegetation.^[10]

Dragonflight

This section concerns content related to Dragonflight.

King Genn, Princess Tess, and Calia Menethil fighting Inquisitor Fairbell inside the cathedral.

Following their defeat against the Forsaken in Silverpine Forest, the Scarlet Crusade managed to weasel their way into the peninsula and occupy Gilneas City, using it as their stronghold for their operations in Lordaeron. Led by Inquisitor Fairbell, they made their headquarters within the Light's Dawn Cathedral,^[11]^[12] and stationed the most elite of their forces in the Cathedral Quarter.^[13] During the Reclamation of Gilneas, King Genn Greymane, Princess Tess Greymane, and Calia Menethil entered the cathedral to confront Fairbell. As they fought the crazed zealot, she transformed into a creature similar to a giant lightspawn, but was ultimately defeated thanks to the efforts of the trio and a hero that accompanied them.^[14]

It is also here, on the steps of the cathedral, that Genn reaffirmed his faith in his daughter and abdicated as the ruling king of Gilneas, declaring that Tess would henceforth reign as the new queen of Gilneas.^[15] After their victory, the cathedral returned under the control of the kingdom but remained devoid of clerical presence, except for a few citizens entering the building intermittently.

Notes and trivia

Although the building is a cathedral, it was several times mentioned as being a "chapel" during the Reclamation of Gilneas.^[13]^[11]
This area was planned to be available in the original concept for the Battle for Gilneas, taking place in Gilneas City itself.