Divine

The Divine is the leader of the Chantry organization at large, based out of the Grand Cathedral in Val Royeaux. The Divine of the Chantry is always female. The Tevinter Imperium however, have their own Divine, who is a male as well as their own version of the Chantry—the Imperial Chantry. The Orlesian Divine is informally known as the White Divine, and the Tevinter Divine as the Black Divine.

Election


In the Andrastian Chantry, it is customary for a Divine to leave the name of her chosen successor before her death, but this does not guarantee their ascension. Upon the death of the current Divine, every Grand Cleric is required to travel to Val Royeaux for the Grand Consensus. There, they elect a new Divine from among themselves, or choose another member of the Chantry. The vote must be unanimous for a new Divine to be properly elected.

The election of the current Divine, Justinia V was controversial, as rumours abound that many of the Grand Clerics were reluctant to elect her due to her colourful past, despite Revered Mother Dorothea (as she was then known) being the first choice of her predecessor, Beatrix III. In the end, she was successful, and began her reign in 9:34 Dragon.

Known White Divines

 * Justinia I - The first Divine. Elected in 1:1 Divine. Chose her name to honour the disciple who recorded Andraste's songs.
 * Ambrosia II - Reigned during the Divine Age. Wanted to order an Exalted March against her own cathedral after protesting mages barricaded themselves inside.
 * Renata I - Reigned during the Glory Age. Declared the Exalted March of the Dales (2:10 - 2:20 Glory). Ordered the establishment of alienages afterwards.
 * Galatea - Reigned during the Glory Age. Granted the Right of Annulment to all grand clerics of the Chantry to purge Circles of Magi ruled irredeemable (after 2:83 Glory).
 * Joyous II - Reigned in 3:86 Towers. Died in 3:99 Towers.
 * Amara III - Reigned in 5:71 Exalted.
 * Faustine II - Reigned in 8:99 Blessed. Planned to declare the Sun Age, but abruptly declared the Dragon Age instead after a dragon rampage occurred.
 * Beatrix III - Reigned in 9:21 Dragon. Died in 9:34 Dragon. Used the templars to pressure the Viscount of Kirkwall. Held the office for almost 50 years.
 * Justinia V - Elected in 9:34 Dragon. Reigns as of 9:40 Dragon.

Other White Divines
These Divines have been mentioned in Dragon Age lore or their existence has been implied by the names of other Divines (for example, there could not have been a Justinia V without a Justinia II, III, and IV), but no other information is provided about them. It is unknown when they were elected, when they died, or what they accomplished during their reigns.


 * Amara I
 * Amara II
 * Ambrosia I
 * Beatrix I
 * Beatrix II
 * Clemens I
 * Faustine I
 * Hortensia I
 * Hortensia II
 * Hortensia III
 * Hortensia IV
 * Joyous I
 * Justinia II
 * Justinia III
 * Justinia IV
 * Theodosia I
 * Theodosia II

Known Black Divines

 * Valhail - The first Black Divine. Elected by the Tevinter Chantry in 3:87 Towers.

Trivia

 * The Divine plays a role similar to the Pope in the Catholic Church, and the moniker "Black Divine" echoes the term "Black Pope", coined in the sixteenth century by European Protestants to refer to the Superior General of the Society of Jesus.