Ataceris

The Ataceris, also known as the Imperial Palace, Palace of Emperors, and the Home of the World, is the official residence and principal workplace of the Imperator of the Imperium of Caphiria. Located in Venceia, it has been the residence of every Imperator since Caesar Magnus Magnus ordered its construction in the late 17th century. The Ataceris is not a single building but is a massive complex consisting of two baroque-styled palaces - the Upper Ataceris and the Lower Ataceris - as well as the Palace Stables, Conservatory, three gardens, and an art gallery. As the seat of power of the Imperium, the Ataceris is often also used metonymically to refer to the government of Caphiria.

Caesar Marius initially created the idea for the Ataceris complex in the early 15th century, but construction was never officially started. Less than two years after Caesar Marius had the idea, the Imperium was thrust into the Second Civil War. The land that the Ataceris was supposed to be built on became a central location in the conflight. It would be almost three centuries later before Caesar Magnus Magnus officially started construction. Beginning in 1695, The Ataceris was built during a period of extensive construction in the Imperium, during the height of the Latinic Renaissance. This period was marked by significant cultural change and achievement, notably in architecture and art. The complex was to inaugurate a new era in Caphiria following the events after the Civil War.

The 50,000 sq. ft complex is located in the Imperial District of Venceia, overlooking Artineo Bay in the northeast. The complex is set on a gentle gradient and includes decorative tiered fountains and cascades, Baroque sculptures, and majestic wrought iron gates.

History
Caesar Marius first had the idea for an official residence located in Venceia during the Reformation era, dissatisfied with the fact that up until this point, Imperators lived wherever they pleased. He thought that having a central place to live and work from, in the heart of the Imperium, would be beneficial for morale and the public image of the Imperator. In the mid-15th century, he purchased several villas in north Venceia, wanting to be "at the forefront of the world's capital." Construction plans were meant to coincide with the dawn of the new century. Still, a series of military confrontations, namely the battle of Omniculum, caused construction to be delayed indefinitely. By the time the war had concluded, Caesar Marius had died, and his successors had abandoned the project citing the obscene construction costs.

It would be nearly two centuries later, near the end of the 17th century, when Caesar Magnus Magnus would re-imagine Marius' idea into his own. The Caphiric Renaissance was in full swing, a period marked by significant cultural change and achievement, notably in architecture and art. Famed Dominate-era architect Austulus Colus Mancissimus, known for his style that used contrast, movement, exuberant detail, deep color, grandeur, and surprise to achieve a sense of awe, was commissioned to design the imperial palace. After going back and forth with Caesar Magnus Magnus on various designs and sketches, they finally settled on a design: the duplici regiae, double palace; the lower palace would serve as the personal residence for the Imperator while the upper palace would be his workplace and official seat of power of the Imperator.

The construction of the Lower palace took place between 1625 and 1650 and was so advanced by 1637 that Caesar Magnus Thuscas - in his role as Pope Syncenectus, was able to receive Pirasso Basilvestris of Aciria. The decoration of the interior started as early as 1629. In 1640, he commissioned the Latinic painter Macrocus Solimena to execute the altarpiece for the Palace Chapel and the ceiling fresco in the Golden Room. The same year, Comanuel Spercus was commissioned to execute the illusionistic quadratura painting in the Marble Hall.

The plan to build the Upper palace in its present form replaced the original idea of a gloriette “with a beautiful view over the city.” Construction took place between 1627 and 1633. The building was completed in 1633. However, the concert hall was at risk of collapsing due to structural problems. Mancissimus was forced to install a vaulted ceiling supported by four Atlas pillars, giving the room its current appearance. The Upper palace was finished in 1638.

Various additions and modifications would occur over the next several years, and the entire complex was deemed complete in 1658. Two major renovations have occurred since the most extensive was in 1889 and the most recent was in 1934.

Upper Ataceris
The upper palace serves as the principal workplace and seat of power for the Imperator. It contains seven major wings (artuli), each serving a dedicated function for the Imperator's many roles. Each wing may contain a few to a dozen or more rooms.

Artulus I is dedicated to formal dances, large receptions, press conferences, ceremonies, concerts, and banquets. The Press Briefing Room is also here. It is the largest of all of the seven wings and is the only wing that the public press is allowed to visit freely. Artulus II is used for smaller receptions and teas. During a state dinner, guests are served cocktails in one of the three parlors in this wing before the Imperator, his wife, and a visiting head of state descend the Grand Staircase for dinner.

Artulus III contains the Office of the Imperium and serves as the heart of executive power in Caphiria. Here, the Prime Minister of Caphiria leads the various Council of Ministers (Caphiria) and non-magisterial officials. This wing also contains the Imperator's personal and private offices, the Imperial Study, and offices for his many assistants and delegates. The Situation Room is also located here. Artulus IV contains Private and Personal Dining Rooms, used for smaller, more private meals than those served in Artulus I. In addition to the two dining rooms, the Imperator has his kitchen with a dumbwaiter connected to the central kitchen on the ground floor. It also has a broad hallway for receiving lines and serves as a connector to various public and private rooms.

Artulus V contains various rooms such as a reception room for foreign ambassadors to present their credentials, the Portraits room where all of the portraits of past Imperators are, the Library, the Curation room, and the Treasury Rooms, which contains a valuable collection of secular and ecclesiastical treasures covering over a thousand years of Caphiric and Latin history, and about a dozen more rooms. Artulus VI includes the Room of Records, the correspondence office, the calligraphy office, the Imperial Theater, the treaty room, and the Map Room.

The final wing, Artulus VII contains an assortment of rooms and amenities such as the Linen Room, Music Room, Sun Room, Gym, public theater, and public library. This wing also has ten complete guest suites and eight bedrooms for any staff or guests to use. There are also four sitting rooms and studies, as well as an underground bunker to be used in emergencies. This wing also contains additional office space for various use.

Lower Ataceris
The lower complex was designed to be the living quarters of the Imperator, containing magnificent rooms and decorations that reflected not only the power and wealth of the Imperator but also his taste. Initially, guests would have been welcomed with a grand ceremony in the Lower Ataceris' two-story Marble Hall. The walls’ structuring has been borrowed from the architecture of triumphal arches, while war trophies and prisoners allude to Caesar Magnus Magnus’s successes as an imperial commander. By contrast, the oval-shaped plaster medallions showing scenes from the life of Apollo recall the Imperator’s aesthetic interests. The ceiling fresco depicts Apollo in a sun chariot. Caesar Magnus Magnus is represented as a nude hero as Mercury announces gifts from the pope honoring his achievements during the civil war. This would lead to the Marble Gallery, unraveling the rest of the complex.

The complex contains over 150 rooms over three stories and 54 bedrooms. There are also 50 bathrooms, 35 fireplaces, eighteen staircases, and three elevators.

In addition to serving as the primary living quarters of the Imperator and his family, a portion of the complex has been converted for public viewing, complete with a museum that features the private imperial collection of art. Some of this is displayed in the Marble Gallery and the Hall of Stone, which features larger-than-life marble statues depicting famous historical events and meticulously crafted busts of some of history's most influential people.

Conservatory
The Conservatory was originally a winter garden that could be heated. As the south facade and roof could be removed in summer, the various fruit trees could stay in situ and did not have to be carried out of the building. Although convertible buildings with heating to house sensitive plants in winter were known in Latium and Ixnay as far back as the sixteenth century, assembling and dismantling parts of these structures was very trying. The Conservatory was a masterpiece of carpentry and greatly simplified the process using sliding constructions and other gadgets.

After the death of Caesar Magnus Magnus, the fruit trees were transferred to a secondary location, and the original was converted into stables. A false ceiling was installed in 1805, and the original sliding roof was replaced. After 1918, the building housed parts of the armory for the Praetorian Guard; from 1953 to 2007, it was the Museum of Medieval Art. In 2007, the architect Susanne Zottl designed a modern, white cube exhibition space in the Conservatory.

Palace Stables
The Palace Stables, once home to the collection of rare and prize horses of the Imperator, was adapted into a study collection by Audonian architect Kuehn Malvezzi in 2007. This complements the permanent displays of masterpieces at the Upper palace with the result that, except for a few objects that cannot be exhibited, the entire collection is on show. As of 2025, there have been attempts to re-open the stables for their original use but they have been met with resistance as a display of opulence. The study collection comprises approximately 150 works, ranging from a Romanesque crucifix to Late Gothic panel paintings and sculptures, and even including an altarpiece that reveals the forms of the Renaissance.

There are works by prominent masters, such as Friedilo Pachervini, and many by anonymous painters and sculptors. At the Palace Stables, study exhibitions have regularly staged that focus on a single object or ensemble and revolved around the museum’s core roles of conservation and research.

Palace Gardens
The Ataceris's gardens are one of the world's most significant historical gardens and, even in their pared-down form today, are still a fine example of late Baroque garden design. In front of the Upper Ataceris's outdoor steps, a large pool mirrors and duplicates the building’s facade. At the opposite end of the grounds, a cour d’honneur abuts the Lower Ataceris. The Privy Garden adjoins the Lower Ataceris to the right and continues to the Orangery at its northern end. This narrow strip on the west of the plot of land was for the sole use of the prince. Next to the Upper Ataceris, up until 1726, the grounds extended eastward to encompass a semi-circular menagerie. To the south, a geometrical kitchen garden was located in the area now occupied by Venceia's Botanical Gardens.

Although in the eighteenth century, the park was primarily a stage for strolls, perambulation, and conversation, it was also a striking presentation of the Imperator’s power, wisdom, and wealth. Linking the Lower and Upper complexes, the central garden is divided into three large terraces. It comprises all the fundamental components of a Baroque park, such as symmetrical parterres of flowers, basins, tiers, steps, clipped hedges, and much more.

A particularly secluded section of the palatial gardens can be found in what was originally Caesar Magnus Magnus' private garden, Stercorarium, known today as the Secluded Garden, tucked away to the west of the Lower Belvedere. This two-terraced garden was once bounded by an orangery to the north – initially with a removable roof and a facade of sculptures – and an aviary to the south. In between, there were fountains, elaborately embellished pavilions with pergolas, and magnificent parterres ablaze with flowers, all reserved exclusively for Caesar Magnus Magnus and his closest companions.

Another significant section of the palatial gardens is the Alpinahortorum, known as the Alpine gardens, which houses the valuable historical collection of Alpine plants. Originally established as a collection by famed botanist DUG THE GUG in 1803, it would be transferred into the state's ownership in 1874 for conservation purposes. It is open to the public during peak flowering seasons, and unique attractions are the rhododendrons blooming in April and the collection of Sempervivum with roughly 300 varieties, as well as over 100 variations of Audonian Bonsai.

Its excellent water basin in the upper parterre and the stairs and cascades peopled by nymphs and goddesses that links upper and lower parterres survive, but the patterned bedding has long been grassed over; it is currently being restored.

Public access and security
Part of the reasoning behind The Ataceris consisting of two separate palaces was the ability to enable part of the complex to be open to the public from the start. Throughout history, Imperators have held an annual open house at the Upper Ataceris. This tradition has continued throughout modernity, and with a portion of The Ataceris having been converted into a museum and the gardens being open to the public, most Imperators have permitted public tours of the Lower palace, which have continued ever since, except during wartime, and began the tradition of annual receptions on New Year's Day.

Because of the highly public nature of The Ataceris, the complex is protected by many layers of security. The complex has a dedicated 24-hour security team in addition to the presence of the Praetorian Guard, 24 Lictors (imperial bodyguards), and the headquarters of the Urban Cohort is less than five minutes away. The Advanced Surface also protects the Ataceris to Air Missile System (ASAM) of the Caphirian Air Force.