Wikia

The Church of Glabados (グレバドス教会, Gurebadosu Church^?), also known as Glabados Church, is a religious organization from Final Fantasy Tactics. Formed soon after the fall of Mullonde, the center of Pharism, it centers around a so-called divine figure named Saint Ajora Glabados.

Although Church of Glabados resembles that of Christianity, it appears to be a polytheistic faith. Tom Slattery, the translator for Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, explains it thus:

"The Church of Glabados is clearly modeled around Christianity, and the religion itself would seem to be a monotheistic one. Yet in the very opening scene of the game, Ovelia's prayer mentions "kami-gami" (gods, in the undeniable plural). Since the game's script had made it clear that followers of the world's religion spoke of more than one god, we retained that plurality in the English."

—Tom Slattery, translator for Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions^[1]

OriginEdit

The Church of Glabados began as a small group of families who witnessed Saint Ajora's first miracle; as soon as he was born, he rose to his feet and proclaimed a well was tainted. Those who drank from the well died soon after, and those who overheard his prophecy were quick to proclaim him a miracle and child of the gods.

When he reached twenty, Saint Ajora began to spread the word of the coming of Paradise. Pharist priests, fearing his growing influence, quickly tried him as a traitor to the Holy Ydoran Empire and had him hanged. His death soon became the doom of Pharism and the Empire as both were decimated in a terrifying cataclysm.

Those who had faith in Saint Ajora preached upon his divinity, and soon after, the Church of Glabados was formed.

TruthEdit

The Church of Glabados turns out to be corrupt. Not only is its founder, Saint Ajora Glabados, not who the church claims he is, but he is in fact possessed by the Lucavi demon, Ultima, although few in the church actually know this. The church's leader at the time of the War of the Lions is High Confessor Marcel Funebris, who is seeking to gain additional power for the church by having the Order of the Northern Sky and Order of the Southern Sky weaken each other to create a power vacuum for the Church of Glabados to fill. He is unaware that the Knights Templar, led by Folmarv Tengille, are possessed by the Lucavi and are planning to resurrect Ultima. Even Funebris's second-in-command, Cardinal Delacroix, is in on the Lucavi plot.

When Ramza Beoulve discovers what the Church of Glabados is up to, they label him as a heretic in an effort to get rid of him. This gives the Knights Templar greater freedom to impede Ramza's efforts to stop the Lucavi. Eventually, the Lucavi progress so far that the High Confessor is no longer of use to them, and he is killed by Loffrey with Folmarv and Cletienne Duroi looking on. The Church of Glabados survives Ultima's downfall by preventing the publishing of the Durai Papers. This report is later discovered by Arazlam Durai, a descendant of its writer, Orran Durai, although it is not revealed what he does with his knowledge of the truth.