Ecumenical Temple
| A Temple of the Gods, a place of peace and refuge from the insanity of the dungeon. It usually contains altars to most of the known gods. It is located between the levels 4 and 7 of the main dungeon. |
The Ecumenical Temple, also known as the Temple of Gods, is a place that offers peace and refuge from the insanity of the Dungeon. It is considered a branch (even though it only has one level), and its entrance is generated between Dungeon: 4 and 7. It contains altars to multiple gods.
If you started the game with a non-religious class, the Temple is a good place for choosing a god. You can learn more about each god's religion by standing on their altar and praying (command p).
Overflow Altars
Most gods are guaranteed to have an early altar. If an altar to a deity other than Lugonu, Jiyva, or Beogh is not found in the Temple, it will be found somewhere between D:2 and D:9. Such altars are called overflow altars. Note that not every altar you see in that range is necessarily an overflow altar, although most are.
Note that while altars to Lugonu, Jiyva, and Beogh are not normally found in the early game, Hill Orcs can be converted to Beogh by any orc priest, while any race can start with Lugonu by playing an abyssal knight. Thus, the only god who is difficult to pick up early on is Jiyva.
Layout
The Temple has a single floor randomly picked from a predetermined pool of layouts. Whichever layout is picked, you'll find altars to at least six gods, but usually more. Any gods who are not represented in the Temple will have an altar somewhere between D:2 and D:9, with three exceptions.
The Temple will never contain altars to Jiyva or Beogh. It does not normally contain altars to Lugonu either, but one special version of the temple is "corrupted" and most of its altars will be to Lugonu. You can find these three gods in certain branches (Beogh in the Orcish Mines, Jiyva in or near the Slime Pits, and Lugonu in the Abyss), or in rare dungeon vaults.
If the Temple's entrance appears to be unreachable, try to get in via an unused set of stairs on another floor.
Recommendations
Monsters never randomly spawn in the Temple, but they can follow you or be created there (via a god's wrath, a miscast effect, or your own spell). This makes the Temple a decent stash location in the early game if your carrying capacity is low. It's also a convenient (and somewhat ironic) place for waiting out a spurned god's divine retribution.
