Name: Monastery
Region: Mid Rim
Sector: Haserian sector
System: Monastery system
Grid coordinates: Q-14
Trade routes: Reena Trade Route
Primary terrain: Rainforests
Points of interest: Crystal Valley, Temple of the Sacred Circle
Immigrated species: Humans, Many species
Primary language(s): Galactic Basic Standard
Population: 35 million

Description: Monastery was a Mid Rim world. It belonged to the Order of the Sacred Circle, an order which revered all forms of life.

In 22 BBY, shortly before the Clone Wars, Monastery opened itself to refugees of the Separatist crisis provided they agreed to convert to the Order. The Order accepted beings of any gender or species. During the Clone Wars the planet was located within Separatist space.

The House of Tagge sent Domina Tagge to the planet to join the Order. Domina's brothers thought doing so would preserve her innocence and keep her from becoming a pawn in Imperial and corporate political struggles.

Domina Tagge pitted Luke Skywalker against Darth Vader in a battle in the Crystal Valley, promising Monastery's allegiance to either the Rebel Alliance or the Galactic Empire according to who won the battle. Luke apparently killed Vader, but the man he killed was actually Orman Tagge, disguised as Vader.

Monastery was home to a number of dangerous creatures, such as the Nightshrike, and the Saber cat. Saber cats were able to be tamed, and the Order of the Sacred Circle kept several as pets. While on Monastery, Luke Skywalker was attacked by both a Nightshrike and a Saber cat, revealed to have been manipulated by Domina Tagge.

Crystal Valley

The Crystal Valley was an area on the planet Monastery where large crystal spires would grow from the ground at dangerous speeds. The valley was to be the site where Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader had a lightsaber duel, and was chosen by Domina Tagge because she wanted to ensure that both combatants were killed. However, Vader substituted Baron Orman Tagge in place of himself possibly using Force Illusion, and Luke killed the Baron before escaping the Valley.

Temple of the Sacred Circle

The Temple of the Sacred Circle was a religious structure on the planet of Monastery built and used by the Order of the Sacred Circle.

The Order of the Sacred Circle was a religion that dominated the planet Monastery. The Order's name originated from the rings of debris circling the planet. The rings represented the eternal and ever-renewing cycle of life. The Order was ruled by a High Priestess and the main governing body was the Circle of Elders. Most of the time, the Order tried to remain neutral. During the Separatist Crisis, Monastery opened up to refugees, provided that they converted to the Order upon their arrival.

During the Galactic Civil War, they stayed neutral due to their belief in the circle of life and that a war would break the circle and cause doom to the galaxy. Darth Vader was dispatched by the Galactic Empire to convince the Order to side with the Emperor. Eventually, the leader of the Order, Domina Tagge, was convinced to side with the Empire. Sister Domina had already planned to side with Vader to force him into dueling Luke Skywalker. The Order suffered much from the Imperial presence on their home planet. When Domina stepped down as High Priestess of the Order, the Circle of Elders agreed to ally themselves with the Rebel Alliance.