St Francis' Folly
St Francis' Folly is officially a monastery somewhere in Greece or possibly in Turkey. It is built over a large complex of ancient buildings, at the heart of which lies the Tomb of Tihocan, god-king of Atlantis, a member of the Atlantean Triumvirate and owner of the second piece of the Atlantean Scion. It is the fifth level of Tomb Raider.
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Original Version
Lara Croft originally discovers the location of the second piece of the Scion is underneath the Folly after breaking into Natla Technologies' company headquarters and ransacking her office. She finds the diary of a monk there and reads his account of the monastery and ruins beneath it.
The Folly is presented as a large columnd hall with doors at either end. Various wild animals not native to Greece have made their homes here in place of the monks. The second part of the folly is a large hollow tower set behind the columned hall itself. At the bottom of the tower lies a large door which, with the correct application of various keys, allows access into the Colosseum.
At various points on the walls of the tower are four rooms of characters from world mythology; Atlas, Damocles, Neptune and Thor. Only Atlas and Damocles originate in Greek myth, as Neptune is the Roman interpretation of the Greek god Poseidon and Thor belongs to Norse mythology. In each of the rooms lie the God Keys, protected by a multitude of traps and mechanisms. The aim is to collect all of the keys and use them in the Colosseum door at the foot of the tower.
Anniversary Version
Rather than discovering the location of Tihocan's piece of the Scion through the journal of a monk, Lara instead discovers a series of video communications made by both Larson Conway and Pierre Dupont leading to the discovery actually being credited to Pierre himself - although in fact, it is clear that Lara knew the name of the monastery in any case. Perhaps this was one location that her father had theorised could hold part of the Scion, but was unable to excavate.
The columned hall very closely resembles the original, except that the lever opening the door into the tower room is now replaced with an puzzle involving the constellation of Perseus and a large bronze globe which is used to open gates to continue through the level.
Although the original crocodile pool which was used to enter the tower has gone, the tower itself is very similar. According to Anniversary's Creative Director Jason Botta, the textures were duplicated from the floors and ceilings to keep the feel of the level as close to the original as possible. The same 'God Rooms' are still in evidence with somewhat similar traps, although Neptune has now been changed to Poseidon and Thor to Hephaestus. The gate to the Colosseum is still in place as the end of the level.
Links
Notes
There is significant doubt whether the name 'St Francis' Folly' is the original name of the monastery. Most of this doubt is to do with the monastery's location. Whether sited in Greece or Turkey, a monastery is unlikely to have been named after a Roman Catholic saint, and certainly very unlikely to be inhabited by the Franciscan order. This is because during the medieval period these areas were part of the Greek Orthodox Byzantine Empire. It is possible therefore that the name is a modern nickname, referring to the numbers of animals that inhabit the building.
One argument for the possibility of the monastery being dedicated to the St Francis is the presence of the Republic of Venice in the eastern Mediterranean. This has led to speculation that the monastery could be sited in a number of places - from the islands of Crete, Rhodes or Cyprus to the coasts of Istria, Dalmatia and modern Albania. However, the Venetians were far from the most devout Catholic nations, being far more interested in trade, commerce and naval supremacy. They did not implement a wholesale conversion attempt upon the local populace, as Catholic influence in these areas remains minimal.
Looking at evidence from the games, although in Tomb Raider the monk's journal mentions St Francis' Folly by name, the date at which it is written is not made clear. Moreover, Lara herself reads the words "Relocated now to St Francis' Folly new temptations torment me..." In this instance could have simply inserted 'St Francis' Folly' for the real name of the monastery. From the cutscenes in both Tomb Raider and Anniversary we can see that the Folly is not an Ancient Roman or Greek building, but looks more like an early Christian construction. The interior appears older however, perhaps suggesting that the Folly was built around an older pre-Christian structure such as a temple. This would explain the presence of the 'God Rooms' which would be out of place in a Christian building. See Thor or Norse Mythology for more information on the Religious Wranglings of the Room names.
In either game there is no evidence of monks cells, kitchens, libraries or other such common buildings - this perhaps suggests that these were external and less substantial buildings that have since been buried or are completely ruined. All that now stands is the main church structure.
The most pressing argument for the level's location lies in the Palace Midas. See entries on Greece and the Palace Midas for more information.
The concept of building religious structures over older ones to prevent unwary adventurers getting in (or something else getting out) has been copied since in the Tomb Raider Series. The siting of Barkhang Monastery over the Catacombs of the Talion, the Irish monastery on the Black Isle from Chronicles and the Buddhist Monastery from the Nepal level of Legend also display this characteristic. It could be argued that the Hall of Seasons from The Angel of Darkness is a similar location, as could be many locations from Tomb Raider: Underworld.
Enemies
- Lions
- Gorillas (Tomb Raider only)
- Crocodiles (Tomb Raider only)
- Bats
- Rats (Anniversary only)
- Pierre Dupont (fought in Tomb Raider, seen in Anniversary)
