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Locationmajor

Church of Irith

The Church of Irith is a small ruined church in southern Liurnia of the Lakes, on the road beyond Stormveil Castle.

Importancemajor

Key takeaways

  • The church is in Liurnia of the Lakes, south of the lake and west of Stormveil Castle.
  • Its main permanent treasure is a Sacred Tear, found before the statue at the rear of the ruined building.
  • Sorcerer Thops initially sits near the entrance and can become a basic sorcery vendor after a donation of 10 runes.
  • Thops accepts the spare Academy Glintstone Key, not the first key needed to enter Raya Lucaria.
  • After his quest advances, an Ash-of-War Scarab appears at the church and drops Ash of War: Thops’s Barrier.
  • There is no named boss, ordinary shopkeeper, Site of Grace or separate church subarea.

About this guide

Scope: Base game Elden Ring. This guide treats the Church of Irith itself as the location. The nearby Lake-Facing Cliffs, the Liurnia lake shore, the graveyard to the north-west and the soldiers’ camp farther along the road are neighbouring places, not subareas of the church.

Overview

The Church of Irith is a small ruined church in southern Liurnia of the Lakes, immediately beyond Stormveil Castle. It is one of the first locations most players encounter after leaving the castle, or after bypassing it by the cliffside route. Although the building contains little combat, it is important for three reasons: it provides a Sacred Tear, introduces Sorcerer Thops, and begins the short quest sequence linking the player to the Academy of Raya Lucaria.

The church has no dungeon layers, hidden basement or boss arena. Its significance is concentrated in a few fixed objects and in Thops’s changing status as the game progresses.

Geography and boundaries

Church of Irith stands on a small rise at the southern edge of Liurnia, below the western side of Stormveil Castle. The building faces the open lake country rather than forming part of the castle’s interior. The most direct approach after defeating Godrick is from the Lake-Facing Cliffs Site of Grace, following the descending road and turning towards the ruined church.

The location should not be expanded to include the whole surrounding approach. Several nearby points are useful in a route, but remain separate:

These neighbouring locations are connected by exploration, but none is a subarea of Church of Irith. A regional route guide places the Academy Scroll in the graveyard north-west of the church rather than inside the church grounds.

Buildings and landmarks

The church is a roofless, partially collapsed stone building with a large statue at the rear. The interior is compact and open enough that the player can inspect the important objects immediately on entering.

Main interior

There are no separate rooms, locked doors, lifts or underground passages. The church’s ruined condition is mostly environmental rather than a source of a secondary dungeon route.

Named directory: landmarks

The church’s religious identity is not explained through a readable inscription or a unique item description. Its broader classification among Liurnia’s churches is the strongest available evidence for its Golden Order association.

Named directory: landmarks

Items and collectibles

Sacred Tear

A Sacred Tear is placed at the foot of the statue at the back of the church. Collect it before leaving, particularly if this is your first visit to Liurnia. Sacred Tears are used while resting at a Site of Grace to improve the amount restored by the Crimson and Cerulean Flasks. Church of Irith is one of the fixed Sacred Tear locations in the base game.

The item is not random, missable or dependent on a quest state. It remains available during normal progression unless the player has already collected it.

Items not inside the church

The following nearby items are often confused with church loot, but belong to other locations:

They should be recorded as neighbouring Liurnia collectibles rather than Church of Irith items.

Residents and characters

Sorcerer Thops

Thops is the church’s only regular named resident. He is a former student of the Academy of Raya Lucaria who was outside the academy when its gates were sealed. He describes himself as a bluntstone, an inexperienced sorcerer who nevertheless wishes to return to his place of study.

Thops is not a conventional shopkeeper with a large upgrade path. He cannot be given sorcery scrolls to expand his stock. After the player donates 10 runes, he offers three basic sorceries:

These spells are particularly useful for early Intelligence characters, although the player may already have access to some of them through other instructors or starting choices.

Visitors and story-associated characters

No other named NPC is stationed inside the church. Hyetta may be encountered near the Lake-Facing Cliffs Site of Grace, but she is not a resident of Church of Irith. Likewise, Sorceress Sellen and the Academy characters are associated with Thops’s story but do not appear at this location.

Sorcerer Thops

SorceryPrice
Glintstone Pebble1,000 runes
Glintstone Arc1,500 runes
Starlight2,500 runes

Thops quest and progression changes

Thops’s church appearance has several stages. The order matters because the game distinguishes between the key needed by the player and the spare key that Thops can receive.

Stage 1: first meeting

The first Academy Glintstone Key, found near Glintstone Dragon Smarag in the Temple Quarter, is required for the player to enter Raya Lucaria. Thops does not accept that key because it has already become bound to its user.

Stage 2: obtaining the spare key

After entering the Academy, the player can find a second Academy Glintstone Key on the rafters above the Church of the Cuckoo. This unused key can be given to Thops at Church of Irith. In return, he grants the Erudition Gesture and leaves to resume his studies.

Stage 3: return to the church

Once Thops has moved to the Academy, an Ash-of-War Scarab appears at his former location near the church. Defeating it awards Ash of War: Thops’s Barrier. The scarab’s appearance is tied to giving Thops the spare Academy key, not simply to entering the Academy.

The Ash of War can be applied to small and medium shields. It creates a magical barrier capable of deflecting sorceries and incantations, and can also function as a parry.

Thops’s final outcome

After receiving the spare key, Thops can be found dead outside the Schoolhouse Classroom in the Academy of Raya Lucaria. His body provides:

The corpse is in the Academy, not at Church of Irith. The church’s later reward is instead the Ash-of-War Scarab encounter.

Stage 1: first meeting

  1. 01
    Enter the church and speak to Thops.
  2. 02
    Agree to donate 10 runes.
  3. 03
    His sorcery shop becomes available.
  4. 04
    Exhaust his dialogue to learn about the sealed Academy gates and the need for a Glintstone Key.

Thops’s final outcome

Walkthrough

  1. 01
    Reach the church from the Lake-Facing Cliffs route or by approaching from the southern Liurnia paths.
  2. 02
    Enter the ruined building and collect the Sacred Tear beside the statue.
  3. 03
    Speak with Thops near the entrance.
  4. 04
    Donate 10 runes to unlock his shop.
  5. 05
    Buy any desired sorceries before progressing his story.
  6. 06
    Use the first Academy Glintstone Key to enter Raya Lucaria.
  7. 07
    Explore the Academy until you find the spare key above the Church of the Cuckoo.
  8. 08
    Return to Church of Irith and give the spare key to Thops.
  9. 09
    Reload the area or rest, then check the church vicinity for the Ash-of-War Scarab.
  10. 10
    Defeat the scarab to obtain Ash of War: Thops’s Barrier.
  11. 11
    Visit the Schoolhouse Classroom area in the Academy to collect Thops’s remaining rewards.

Hazards and secrets

There is no boss or fixed hostile group inside the church. Before Thops leaves, the site is effectively a safe interaction point. The only combat encounter directly tied to the church is the later Ash-of-War Scarab. The surrounding roads and graveyard contain enemies, but those belong to the wider southern Liurnia route.

The main “secret” is therefore progression-based rather than architectural: returning after giving Thops the spare key changes the church area and adds a reward encounter.

Sources