Chantry

The Chantry of Andraste
The major religious group in Ferelden and other parts of Thedas. It’s based on the Chant of Light, a series of teachings written by Andraste, the prophet of the Maker, and was founded by Kordillus Drakon, the first emperor of Orlais. Its followers are known as Andrastians. "Chantric" is also an acceptable adjective to refer to something or someone that is of the Chantry religion.

The view of the Chantry on non-humans is that they need saving -- they have turned even further from the Maker's grace than humanity has. Elves were, and in some cases still are, pagan and dwarves do not worship any gods at all. The Chantry's goal is to spread the Chant of Light to all four corners of the world, that includes non-humans as well. Once all peoples have accepted the Chant and practice its teachings, supposedly the Maker will return to the world and return it to its previous Edenic state.

While the actual priesthood of the Chantry is made up entirely of women, men are allowed into affiliated groups like the Templars and other non-ordained positions. The leader of the Chantry is the Divine who resides in the Grand Cathedral, located in the capital of Orlais. The Chantry also has Grand Clerics, whose position is similar to bishops. The head of the Chantry in Ferelden is a Grand Cleric.

The Chantry calendar is used everywhere in Thedas, save for the Imperium, and is the source of the Ages for which the game is named.

It was an Orlesian emperor who made the Chantry into an organized religion. Before that, those who believed in Andraste's message were scattered throughout Thedas.

The funeral rites of the Chantry involve cremation. As Andraste's body was burned, and her spirit ascended to stand by the Throne of the Maker, so too will that of her followers. It may also be to ward off the possibility of the corpse becoming the subject of demonic possession.

When not capitalized, 'chantry' refers to a building in which worship takes place.

History
The Chantry was founded by Kordillus Drakon, the first Emperor of the Orlaisian Empire, who established the Andrastian faith as the nation religion. Three years later the first Divine, Justinia I, was declared. Drakon's military successes during the Second Blight significantly expanded the borders of Orlais, and soon after the conquered lands converted to the faith. While these lands would later librate themselves from Orlaisian rule following Drakon's death, the religious practise still reminded.

During the Towers Age there was debate in the Chantry over whether Andraste was truly divine. It was largely the Imperial Chantry's belief that she was not divine that led to the schism in the Chantry and the eventual founding of the Imperial Chantry as a separate religion.

The Chantry has called for military conquests of supposedly heathen nations, such as the elven land of the Dales, called Exalted Marches.

As of 9:40 Dragon, the Chantry's existance stands upon the edge of a knife, following over nine-hundred years of relative stability.

Chantries in Thedas
Chantries are present in almost every village, town and city and some will also maintain a Chanter's Board. They also maintain a presence within larger organizations' buildings such as the Circle of Magi and Fort Drakon. A list of known chantries:
 * Chantry, Lothering
 * Denerim Market District, Denerim
 * Chantry of our Lady Redeemer, City of Amaranthine
 * Castle Cousland, Highever
 * Village Chantry, Redcliffe Village
 * Haven Chantry, Village of Haven
 * Orzammar (see The Chant in the Deeps)
 * Kirkwall Chantry, Kirkwall

Trivia
The Chantry seems to be heavily based Catholicism, since they have similar histories: both were founded by one who was betrayed and executed. The followers of both believe in one omniscient and omnipotent god and both were persecuted early until the faith was adopted by a major nation. Both the religions also share a suspicious and sometimes even aggressive behavior versus different faiths, leading Exalted Marches against the "unfaithful", such as the Elves, the Qunari, and the Tevinter Imperium. There is also theological similarity in the treatment of the prophet figure, since like Jesus, upon her death Andraste ascends to the deity's side, serving as a divine judge and intermediary who can intercede on behalf of the faithful.

The reason for the schism between the Imperial Chantry and the rest of the Chantry bears similarity to theological debates about the nature of Jesus in the early history of Christianity; the schism itself appears to be inspired by the split between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, as the Tevinter Imperium represents Byzantium (the Orthodox) and the southern states of the Chantry represent the western states (France, England) who became Catholics.

Although the primary inspiration is clearly medieval Catholicism, some elements of Andraste and the Chantry religion may also have been inspired by Islam. For example, Andraste being a military leader has no analogue in the life of Jesus, but may mirror elements of The Prophet Muhammad's life (Andraste's life and death are also possibly inspired by that of Joan of Arc), furthermore the Chantry claims that Andraste did not truly die but ascended to the Maker's side, almost identical to the Islamic version of Jesus's death. Also, unlike the Jesus of Christian theology, there is no belief of Andraste having physically risen from the dead. The dispute between the Andrastian and Imperial Chantry over the divinity of Andraste is somewhat similar to the dispute within Christianity and Islam over the divinity of Jesus. Like the Qur'an, the Chant of Light is not merely a story, but a chant/poem/song (though the Qur'an rhymes and pseudo-rhymes, while the Chant seems to be prose poetry).