Razing a holy city?

With the introduction of G&Ks, you've been able to found a religion once you meet a minimum of faith and a great prophet spawns. Well recently I was playing a game as Rome and as was mopping up Morocco they sent a fresh great prophet straight into grabbing range. I hadn't invested anything into religion, not even a pantheon, so I was sending the prophet back to my capital to found a religion. It was passing through one of the cities I'd taken off the Inca, and there I noticed that I could found a religion in non capital cities. I did just because it was convenient(And in a good city as well, had managed to get it in a peace agreement) and went about the game as normal. This got me thinking though, if that city was captured could it be razed, and thus eradicating my religion for good? Does anyone know?

tl;dr If you found a religion in a raze able city can you destroy that city and thus the religion

Nope holy cities can't be razed. Although they can be if the city is captured & then 2 inquisitors eradicate the holy city, then you may raze it.

Good to know. I sometimes put my religion in my non-capital city. Just because its location will guerantuee a spread to the neigbhours. But the extra bonus is that it protects a 2nd city from razing. Cool

Silverman6083 said:

Nope holy cities can't be razed. Although they can be if the city is captured & then 2 inquisitors eradicate the holy city, then you may raze it.

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Does this actually work?

Yes, but you only need one inquisitor.

Vitruvius said:

Does this actually work?

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Yup, & I thought of a cheeky thing to do. As Carthage bills a city surrounded by mountains, then make it your holy city. Then not only can a Melee unit not capture it, but it also can't be insta razed by nukes <multiplayer troll face>

Silverman6083 said:

Yup, & I thought of a cheeky thing to do. As Carthage bills a city surrounded by mountains, then make it your holy city. Then not only can a Melee unit not capture it, but it also can't be insta razed by nukes <multiplayer troll face>

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Genius! You will own them with the growth provided by your mountain berries and slaughtered mountain goats.

Silverman6083 said:

Nope holy cities can't be razed.

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Citation please? I am quite skeptical about this claim. I think it's just that caps can't be razed, and all AIs make their cap the holy city.

Browd said:

Yes, but you only need one inquisitor.

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I think when Vitruvius asked “Does this actually work?” that he was referring to holy status making a city unable to be razed.

A holy city can't be razed and capitals can't be razed. As you say, the AI usually makes its capital its holy city. But when it does not, the holy city can't be razed as long as it remains a holy city. Capture the holy city, zap it with an inquisitor to remove its holy city character, and it can be razed.

beetle said:

Citation please? I am quite skeptical about this claim. I think it's just that caps can't be razed, and all AIs make their cap the holy city.



I think when Vitruvius asked “Does this actually work?” that he was referring to holy status making a city unable to be razed.

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That's what I thought. Inquisitor only remove followers but doesn't change its status of being a holy city.

The fall patch says holy city can't be razed. And AI will make another city holy city if they lost their cap before founding a religion.

Wrong. See above.

Vitruvius said:

And AI will make another city holy city if they lost their cap before founding a religion.

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Thanks, interesting! I could see that happening. I was wondering when this would ever come up. (But like Browd wrote, the single inquisitor is enough to remove holy status and followers. Followers might come back if there is religious pressure from nearby civs.)