Location from Hyperion by Dan Simmons
The capital of the Pax — a world where the Catholic Church rebuilt interstellar civilization on the promise of resurrection and the hidden foundation of AI parasitism.
Pacem is the seat of the Pax — the Catholic theocratic government that rose after the Fall. From here, the Pope rules, the Pax Fleet deploys, and cruciform resurrection is administered as a sacrament. It is where Aenea was captured and tortured to death — the site of her crucifixion in everything but name. Pacem represents the Cantos' critique of institutional religion: a genuine desire for transcendence corrupted by a secret alliance with machines. The cruciforms offered eternal life. The price was eternal servitude. Pacem is where that transaction was administered.
A world dominated by Catholic architecture on an interstellar scale — cathedrals, Vatican-styled government buildings, the administrative center of a theocracy that spans hundreds of worlds. The aesthetic is grandeur weaponized.
Also known as: Pacem