Sanctum Sanctorum

Lore & Background

The Sanctum Sanctorum is a three-story townhouse located at 177A Bleecker Street, 'in the heart of New York City's Greenwich Village.' In the comics, the building was said to have been built upon a site where pagan sacrifices were performed, and Native American rituals before that, and serves as a focal point of supernatural energies. The building seems to have more space in its interior than its outside would suggest. Some corridors become labyrinths, and the layout and arrangement of some rooms appears to shift on their own. The house holds many powerful magical items, some of which have an innocent appearance. Some are dangerous, such as a radio which is fatal to the touch. The basement contains storage, a furnace, and the laundry. The first floor contains living rooms, dining rooms, and the general library. The second floor holds living quarters for Strange, Wong, and any guests they may have. The Sanctum Sanctorum is specifically the third floor of the building, home to Strange's meditation room and occult library, where he keeps the Book of the Vishanti, and his repository of ancient artifacts and objects of magical power, such as the Orb of Agamotto. The Sanctum consistently has a circular skylight with four swooping lines; this design has stayed with the building despite the window's destruction on many occasions. The design of the window is the Seal of the Vishanti, which protects the Sanctum from most supernatural invaders. It is also called the 'Window of the Worlds,' or the Anomaly Rue.

In Their Own Story

The Sanctum Sanctorum became the headquarters of the New Avengers for a time, having been magically disguised as an abandoned building designated as a future Starbucks cafe. The run-down disguise extends to the interior of the building as needed, undetectable by even the Extremis armor of Iron Man. After constructing the house, Doctor Strange cast a permanent, intricate spell of mystical force to protect it. Despite this, it was seemingly destroyed in a siege by mystical forces, during the Midnight Sons storyline, while various heroes such as the Nightstalkers, Ghost Rider, and Johnny Blaze were hiding inside. During the World War Hulk storyline, the Sanctum was invaded by the forces of the alien Warbound, its defensive enchantments and illusions shattered by Hiroim. After the use of unacceptable dark magics in the fight against the Hulk, the Sanctum is invaded by the Hood's army, who are ultimately defeated amid much damage to the building. Doctor Strange is forced to retreat when the battle allows the government-sanctioned Mighty Avengers to take over the Sanctum. Brother Voodoo is called in to neutralize the remnants of the defensive magics. On one occasion, Doctor Strange destroyed the defenses of the Sanctum to avoid their exploitation by a foe.

Reader's Guide

The Sanctum Sanctorum appears in Marvel Rivals. In the comics, the building's depiction has varied over the years, but some elements remain consistent. 'The outside looks like a townhouse, while past a veil of magical force on the inside are various rooms with various mystical artifacts', as one source put it. The artistic directors of the Marvel Cinematic Universe film adaptation described it as a 'turn-of-the-century empire—timeless, really—mixture of classical and neoclassical American architecture'. Its main residents, apart from Strange, have been his lover/apprentice Clea, his manservant Wong, and the apprentice sorcerer Rintrah. The building has also served as headquarters of the Defenders.

Did You Know?

• The address 177A Bleecker Street is a reference to an apartment once shared by writers Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich in the 1960s.
• The Sanctum Sanctorum is specifically the third floor of the building, home to Strange's meditation room and occult library.
• The circular skylight with four swooping lines is called the Seal of the Vishanti, which protects the Sanctum from most supernatural invaders.
• The building was once magically disguised as an abandoned building designated as a future Starbucks cafe, undetectable by even Iron Man's Extremis armor.
• In a comical turn in Strange Tales #147, a building inspector informed Strange that he had six months to get the Sanctum Sanctorum repainted or the building would be condemned.