Church of the Holy Way

The Church of the Holy Way is the main church of Silent Hill and the Order in Silent Hill: Homecoming. It is first seen while exploring the streets of Central Silent Hill, although its doors are locked. It is finally entered following the Otherworld penitentiary transformation and the defeat of Asphyxia.

Although no actual Order members appear within the church, various symbols, texts, and references to the cult are present throughout.

Design


Externally and internally, the Church of the Holy Way is built much like a gothic cathedral, most likely to present the structure with a less menacing air. Outside, above the main entrance, is a set of air raid sirens. Whether these function to warn about shifts between worlds or if they just serve as a nod to the Silent Hill film is unknown.

Within the main hall of the church rests a large pipe organ with the Halo of the Sun inset in the floor before it. A baptismal font, a room containing three confessional booths and pews, as well as a collapsed hallway can be found when exploring the west wing. In the east wing, the player encounters a large statue of a robed figure, a trio of paintings, and a hallway leading to a large stained-glass window situated above the pipe organ in the main hall.

Behind the organ is a passageway leading under the church and into the Order's lair.

Memos
Two small memos can be found within the church.
 * Excerpt from a Hymn
 * Where shall my wondering soul begin? How shall we all to heaven aspire?


 * Excerpt from a Psalm
 * Blessed is the man who does not tread the path of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.

Adam Shepherd


Inexplicably, Adam Shepherd can be found in the Church of the Holy Way. First, he (or his consciousness) can be identified within a confessional booth, opposite Alex Shepherd. It is there that Alex must choose to forgive him for his past actions or not, a choice that affects the ending of the game.

He is subsequently met a second time, after revealing a corridor behind the church organ. Here, he meets his fate after attempting to explain to Alex what has really happened over the years before being sliced in half by the Bogeyman.

Trivia

 * The church's design is based on the church in the Silent Hill film.
 * References to the Silent Hill film include the Brethren symbol found on the entrance door, the barbed wire preventing exit, and the interior being entirely non-corrupted by the Otherworld exterior.
 * The interior of the church is virtually devoid of the Otherworld's corruption. The reason for this is unknown, but it is possible that the church acts as a sanctuary from "the darkness".
 * The church is one of two locations where the Bogeyman appears physically, the other being in the Grand Hotel.
 * It is in the church that the Halo of the Sun is finally seen in its full, original form.
 * The confessional booth scene is very similar to the scene in Silent Hill 3 where Heather Mason must choose to forgive an unknown speaker.
 * The stained-glass window above the organ depicts an execution, and the executioner looks similar to Valtiel. This is possibly a foreshadowing of when Adam Shepherd is killed by the Bogeyman.