Darius' sarcophagus inside Santa Maria Novella
The Assassin Tombs are a group of six tombs or shrines hidden across Italy and dedicated to legendary Assassins from around the world.
History[]
The tombs were presumably built during the 14th century by the Italian Brotherhood of Assassins, around the same time as the Sanctuary beneath the Villa Auditore in Monteriggioni. After founding the House of Auditore, the Italian Assassin and noble Domenico Auditore constructed the Sanctuary to commemorate seven of the Brotherhood's most illustrious members, each of whom received a statue in the Sanctuary.[1]
All seven of these legendary Assassins—with the exception of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad—also received a corresponding tomb, which contained a wealth of treasure, a sarcophagus, and a replica of their statue from the Sanctuary. Furthermore, inside each tomb lay an Assassin Seal which, when brought together with the other five, would unlock a secure gate in the Sanctuary, behind which the indestructible Armor of Altaïr was set. The six tombs were hidden within various churches and landmarks across a number of towns and cities in Italy. Secret paths to these tombs could be opened by unlocking skull-shaped locks.[1]
At some point in his youth, Domenico's great-grandson Mario searched for the tombs, with no success. In 1478, Mario showed the Sanctuary to his nephew Ezio Auditore as the latter was becoming devoted to the Assassin cause, and told him about the tombs, encouraging Ezio to seek them out himself.[1]
Locations[]
Florence and San Gimignano[]
Ezio entering the Santa Maria Novella tomb
Within the region of Tuscany there were three tombs: two in Florence and one in San Gimignano.[2] The first was located within the catacombs of the Santa Maria Novella and was discovered by Ezio in 1478 after eavesdropping on a Templar meeting. This tomb was dedicated to Darius, the assassin of Xerxes I of Persia.[3]
The second tomb was located in the Santa Maria del Fiore, within the lanterna above the building's domed top. It commemorated Iltani, who was responsible for the death of Alexander the Great.[4]
The third tomb was within San Gimignano and was built atop the Torre Grossa although access to the tomb was only possible by passing through the city's Palazzo Comunale below. This tomb was dedicated to Wei Yu, who had assassinated the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang.[5]
Forlì and Venice[]
The secret entrance's mechanism in use
Within the territories of Romagna and the Venetian lagoon, three more tombs were built. In Forlì, beneath the Rocca di Ravaldino, lay the tomb of Qulan Gal, the deathbringer of Genghis Khan.[6]
The other two lay in Venice. Within the district of San Marco, the eponymous Basilica di San Marco housed a cenotaph of Amunet,[7] who had been responsible for the death of Cleopatra and whose remains actually rested in Egypt.[8]
The final tomb was located beneath the Santa Maria della Visitazione, which commemorated Leonius, the assassin of the Roman Emperor Caligula.[9]
Armor of Altaïr[]
- Main article: Armor of Altaïr
Ezio obtaining the Armor of Altaïr
Locked away behind a gate in the Sanctuary lay the Armor of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, a virtually invulnerable suit of armor created by the legendary Mentor of the Levantine Assassins using knowledge he had gained through studying his Apple of Eden.[10]
Between 1478 and 1497, Ezio found and explored all six Assassin Tombs throughout Italy and took their respective seals, placing them at the bottom of their corresponding statues in the Sanctuary. This unlocked the gate and allowed Ezio to acquire the Armor of Altaïr.[2] He went on to wear it for several years,[11][12] until its loss during the Siege of Monteriggioni in 1500.[13]
Monteriggioni[]
Ezio in the Auditore family crypt
Another tomb, the Auditore Family Crypt, was built in Monteriggioni and connected to the Sanctuary through a series of underground tunnels. It was constructed by Domenico Auditore to serve as the resting place of Domenico and his son. The story of Domenico's life was inscribed across the walls along the pathway, from the main entrance to the crypt itself.[14]
At the same time of his search for the six Assassin tombs, Ezio explored this crypt as well, thus learning of his family's history and its involvement with the Assassins.[14] The crypt had also been previously explored by Ezio's father Giovanni in his youth,[15] and would be explored again centuries later by Ezio's descendant Desmond Miles.[16]
Behind the scenes[]
Prior to the release of Assassin's Creed: Origins in 2017, each Assassin Tomb was believed to be the actual resting place for the Assassin it was dedicated to due to the presence of a sarcophagus containing a mummified body. However, Origins retconned this by having Amunet actually be buried alongside her husband Bayek in Egypt, meaning that the mummy from Amunet's tomb is fake. Whether this is the case for other tombs, however, remains unknown.
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
- Assassin's Creed II (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: Memories (indirect mention only)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Assassin's Creed II – Floating conversations: Unlocking Monteriggioni's Secrets
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Assassin's Creed II
- ↑ Assassin's Creed II – Novella's Secret
- ↑ Assassin's Creed II – Il Duomo's Secret
- ↑ Assassin's Creed II – Torre Grossa's Secret
- ↑ Assassin's Creed II – Ravaldino's Secret
- ↑ Assassin's Creed II – San Marco's Secret
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Origins
- ↑ Assassin's Creed II – Visitazione's Secret
- ↑ Assassin's Creed II – Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's Codex
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood – Love's Labour's Lost
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood – Mass Exodus
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood – Vilified
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Assassin's Creed II – Paying Respects
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy - Italian Wars: Chapter 3 - Mario Auditore
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood – Modern day