Florentia

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Florentia
Flag of Florentia
Coat of arms of Florentia
General
LocationNorlund
DemonymFlorentian
Government
GovernmentUnitary ecclesiastical city-state
Formation
Foundation dateApril 2020
Culture
ReligionLucrumism
IdeologySocialist

Florentia, officially Florentia City State, was a canton of Norlund located on Lake Victoria between Veria, Tawa and Tallum. It had a socialist government, where the Lucrum Church owned all property. It was a unitary ecclesiastical sacerdotal city-state with a single city of Florentia. The government was a theocratic absolute elective monarchy, based on the state religion.

The official Florentian borders in the Regulae in principio

Religious beliefs

The religious beliefs of the Lucrum Church were based on the creed of Genoa.

The church preached that there was one, true, living God who created heaven and earth. He is omnipotent, eternal, immense, incomprehensible, infinite in intellect and will and perfect. This God, Lord Hermes, created all things visible and invisible. He is the God of boundaries, travel, communication, trade, language and writing. He protects human heralds, travellers, merchants and orators.

Hermes's daughter, Lord Angelia, was created miraculously by the command of God. She came from heaven and was incarnated as a human. She suffered, was buried and rose again, ascending into heaven. She will be reincarnated to Earth to judge the living and the dead.

Basilica

The main place of worship was to be the St. Phidias’s Basilica (Papal Basilica of Saint Phidias in the Florentia) located in Florentia. The Basilica was to service the Diocese of Medici, which encompassed the entirety of Florentia. The dioece is an episcopal ecclesiastical polity.

The Basilica was to be a public building, in which courts are held and other official and public functions are conducted. The Most Reverent Saint Phidias was to be buried under the high altar of the Basilica.

Unfortunately, due to land disputes and political issues, Florentia was never able to complete the Basilica.

Bishop of Medici

The pope was the head of state of the Florentia City State. He held absolute power as the elected monarch, but some of this power was delegated through the machinery of government.

The first Bishop to hold the position was Pope Marcus, with the papal namesake being the distinguished merchant Marcus Julius Alexander.

The official style of the pope was Bishop of Medici, Vicar of Angelia, Supreme Pontiff of the Lucrum Church, Primate of Norlund, Sovereign of the City State of Florentia, Servant of the servants of God.

Government

The government of Florentia was quadripartite, comprising the Sacred College of Cardinals, the Pontifical Commission, the Secretariat of State and the Florentian Curia.

A chart of the Florentian Government structure

Sacred College of Cardinals

The Sacred College of Cardinals comprised all cardinals of the Lucrum Church. Its function was to advise the pope about church matters when summonsed to an ordinary consistory.

The Cardinals were:

  • BritishWanderer
  • FKA_twink
  • ProfessorRet
  • CuteAnimeGril.

The Dean of the College of Cardinals was elected by and from the cardinal bishops, but the election required papal confirmation. By convention, the pope generally accepted the electee. The Dean presided at the consistories and delegated administrative tasks related to holding these meetings. The Dean acted primus inter pares (first among equals) and had no authority over the cardinals.

The first and only Dean was BritishWanderer.

Cardinals were ordained ministers who held the fullness of the sacrament of holy orders. They were responsible for teaching doctrine and sanctifying the world.

Cardinals were appointed by the pope according to the following criteria:

  • outstanding in solid faith, good morals, piety, zeal for souls, wisdom, prudence, and human virtues, and endowed with other qualities which made him suitable to fulfil the office in question
  • being of good reputation.

The official style of a cardinal was His Eminence Cardinal A.B.

Consistories

Consistories were formal meetings called by the pope.

They fell into two categories:

  • extraordinary consistories, which were held to allow the pope to consult with the entire membership of the College on any issue
  • ordinary consistories, which were ceremonial in nature and are attended by cardinals resident in Florentia or any other interested cardinal.

Conclaves

If the pope had ever resigned in writing to the Cardinal Camerlengo, the Diocese of Medici would have entered a period of sede vacante.

The government of the Florentia City State and the administration of the Lucrum Church during sede vacante would have fallen to the College of Cardinals, both in a limited capacity. If, during this period, an officer had to do something which normally required the assent of the Pope, he had to submit it to the College of Cardinals.

The Dean of the College of Cardinals would then convoke a conclave, which is a gathering of the College to elect the Bishop of Medici. All cardinals would have been obliged to attend the General Congregation of Cardinals, except those whose health did not permit.

A two-thirds supermajority vote was required to elect the new pope. After a new pope was elected and accepted the election, the Dean would ask him “By what name shall you be called?” The Dean would then appear on the balcony of St. Phidias’s to proclaim the new pope by his birth name, and announce his papal name.

Pontifical Commission for Florentia City State

The Pontifical Commission for Florentia City State was a unicameral legislature. It had a maximum of six members, all of whom were cardinals appointed by the pope.

The President of the Governorate of Florentia City State was the Chair of the Commission and acted as the head of government. The President was elected by the Commission as necessary.

The official style of the President was His Most Reverend Eminence A.B., President of the Governorate of Florentia City State.

The pope delegated executive authority for the Florentia City State to the President. The President was required to report all important matters to the Secretariat of State.

The Governorate of Florentia City State comprised:

  • Office of Holy Legal Counsel
  • Florentia Museum
  • Tourist Information Office.

Secretariat of State

The Secretariat of State was the central papal governing bureaucracy.

At its head was the Cardinal Secretary of State, who was a cardinal appointed by the pope. The Secretary presided over the Secretariat and performed all political and diplomatic functions. He was also the chief advisor to the pope.

The official style of the Secretary His Most Reverend Eminence A.B., Secretary of State of His Holiness The Pope

Florentian Curia

The Florentian Curia comprised the administrative institutions of Florentia. It was the central body through which the affairs of the Lucrum Church were conducted.

It contained the:

  • Fabric of St. Phidias
  • Florentia Press Office
  • Papal Camera.

Fabric of Saint Phidias

The Most Holy Order of the Fabric of Saint Phidias was an ancient and distinguished papal institution of the Lucrum Church. It was responsible for the preservation and decoration of the building of the Basilica. It exercised vigilance over the Basilica’s sacred character and regulated the behaviour of employees and pilgrims who came into the church.

CuteThing standing at the entrance to the Florentia Billet, on the sacred mountain.

It was also responsible, at the inception of Florentia, for the architectural plans of the city and the construction of the city.

Fellows of the Core of the Order were appointed by the pope, and were free to resign from the Order at any time.

The head of the Order was the Rector of the Fabric who directs the activities of the Order. The pope retained the ability to direct fellows and the rector.

The official style of the Rector is The Very Reverend [Title] A.B., Rector and Fellow of the Most Holy Order of the Fabric of Saint Phidias.

The first Rector was ProfessorRet. He was replaced by the final Rector, CuteAnimeGril.

Papal Camera

The Papal Camera wass the central board of finance for Florentia. It administered the property and revenues of Florentia.

The head of the Camera wass the Camerlengo of the Holy Lucrum Church. The Camerlengo was appointed by the pope.

The official style of the Camerlengo was His Eminence [Title] A.B., Camerlengo of the Holy Lucrum Church, Papal Safeguarder and Claritate Divitiae.

The Camerlengo also kept safe the last will of the pope until the College of Cardinals took possession of it. Until a successor pope could be elected, he served as the acting sovereign.

The first and only Camerlengo was BritishWanderer.

History

During a fight about the usage of signs in Florentia that announced the criminalisation of heresy within the territory, Shiphoo interjected with complaints about the border of Florentia and how it was close to his existing build. His primary concerns were that he was intending to be a member of Tallum and that he was not consulted on the border of Florentia and that Florentia has the power to make its own rules in its territory. As a result, the King modified the borders of Florentia by compressing them and creating a new area for Tallum within Florentia's previous boundaries.

On 3 April 2020, Florentia and its citizens became a municipality under Norlish law. This type of territory was later renamed to a canton.

Legal

The Pontifical Commission for Florentia City State passed only a single law. The Regulae in principio set out the criminal law of Florentia.

The law declared the Pope as the supreme arbiter of justice using ecclesiastical jurisdiction.

A photograph taken by Zamoradin of the warning signs in Florentia

The sole trial conducted by the Ecclesiastical Tribunal was of Zamoradin, a citizen of Kannin. The trial was for the charge of unlawfully climbing or scaling the sacred mountain on 13 September 2020. The defendant refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the trial, claiming that the pontiff could not be both an accuser and the trier of fact. The case was not ultimately decided.