TIMELINE OF OUR CHURCH 33-100

30-33 Holy Spirit descends on the day of Pentecost in the Church of the Apostles on Mount Zion Jerusalem Israel. Jewish Nazarenes Community.

33 James Brother of Jesus is the first Patriarch of the Church in Jerusalem.

34 Apostle Peter founds See of Antioch.

35 Name Christian first used in Antioch.

37 Joseph of Arimathea travels to Britain and lands in Glastonbury.

40 Apostle Barnabas sent from Jerusalem to Antioch.

42 Apostle Paul's ecstasy to the third heaven (2 Cor.12:2-4).

46-48 Apostle Paul's first missionary journey, with Apostle Barnabas.

49 Apostolic Council of Jerusalem rules that Gentiles do not have to become Jews before becoming Christians.

49-52 Apostle Paul's second missionary journey, with Apostle Silas.

50 Apostle Matthew finishes the Gospel of Matthew in Aramaic.

52 Apostle Thomas arrives in Kerala, introducing Christianity to India.

53-57 Apostle Paul's third missionary journey (Acts 18:23 - 21:16).

59-62 Apostle Paul's fourth missionary journey, voyage to Rome.

62 Martyrdom of Apostle James the Just; crucifixion of Apostle Andrew in Patras.

63 Aristobulus consecrated as first bishop of Britain.

64-68 First of ten major persecutions of the early Church, under Emperor Nero.

66 Flight of the Christian community in Jerusalem to Pella and other places in the Decapolis, and Antioch.

67 Martyrdom of Apostles Peter and Paul in Rome; Apostle Linus elected first bishop of Rome.

69 Ignatius of Antioch consecrated bishop of Antioch.

70 Apostle Mark writes Gospel; Temple in Jerusalem is destroyed by the Romans; expulsion of Christians from synagogues.

71 Apostle Mark introduces Christianity to Egypt.

80 Gospel of Luke written by the Apostle Luke; Titus dedicates Colosseum, site of the martyrdom of many early Christians.

80-90 Didache written.

85 Acts of the Apostles written by Apostle Luke.

90 Council of Jamnia (Javneh) marks final separation and distinction between the Jewish and Christian communities, including rejection of the Septuagint widely then in use among the Hellenized Jewish diaspora.

95 Apostle John writes Book of Revelation.

90-96 Persecution of Christians under Emperor Domitian (2nd).

96 Gospel of John written by Apostle John.

100 Emergence of Christian Catacombs.

100 Death of Apostle John.

​

TIMELINE OF THE CHURCH 100-325

107 Martyrdom of Ignatius of Antioch; death of Apostle Symeon.

108-124 Persecution under Emperor Trajan, continuing under Emperor Hadrian (3rd).

120 Beginning of time of the Apologists: Justin Martyr, Aristides, Tatian, Athenagoras of Athens, Theophilus, Minucius Felix, Tertullian and Quadratus.

124 Apostles Quadratus and Aristides present Christian apologies to Emperor Hadrian at Athens.

128 Aquila's Greek translation of the Old Testament.

130 Conversion of Justin Martyr.

132 Jews, led by Bar Kochba, whom some identify as the Messiah, revolt against Rome.

135 Christmas instituted as a feast day in Rome.

136 Emperor Hadrian crushes Jewish resistance, forbids Jews from returning Jerusalem, and changes city name to Aelia Capitolina; first recorded use of title Pope for the bishop of Rome by Pope Hyginus.

144 Excommunication of Marcion.

150 Justin Martyr describes Divine Liturgy.

155 Martyrdom of Polycarp of Smyrna.

156 Beginning of Montanism.

165 Martyrdom of Justin.

166 Pope Soter inaugurates in Rome a separate annual feast for Pascha, in addition to the weekly Sunday celebrations of the Resurrection, which is also held on a Sunday, in contrast to the Quartodecimans.

175 Tatian's Diatessaron harmonizes the four canonical gospels into single narrative.

177-180 Persection under Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180) (4th).

180 Irenaeus of Lyons writes Against Heresies; Dyfan first martyr in British Isles.

180-192 Theodotion's Greek translation of the Old Testament.

193-211 Symmachus' Greek translation of the Old Testament.

197 Quartodeciman controversy.

200 Martyrdom of Irenaeus of Lyons.

202 Emperor Septimus Severus issues edict against Christianity and Judaism; Martyrdom of Haralampus of Magnesia.

202-210 Persecution under Emperor Septimius Severus (193-211) (5th).

206 King Abgar IX converts Edessa to Christianity.

209 Martyrdom of Alban in Britain.

210 Hippolytus of Rome, bishop and martyr and last of Greek-speaking fathers in Rome, writes Refutation of All Heresies (Philosophumena), and Apostolic Tradition.

215 Conversion of Tertullian to Montanism.

225 Death of Tertullian.

225-250 Didascalia Apostolorum written.

227 Origen begins Commentary on Genesis, completes work on First Principles.

235-238 Persecution under Emperor Maximinus Thrax (6th); martyrdom of St. Hippolytus of Rome.

238 During reigns of Gordian and Philip the Arab Church preaches openly and increasingly attracts well-educated converts.

240 Origen produces Hexapla.

244 Plotinus founds Neoplatonist school in Rome in opposition to Church.

246 Paul of Thebes becomes in Egypt first Christian hermit.

247 Rome celebrates thousandth anniversary, witnessing a period of increased persecution of Christians.

248 Origen writes Against Celsus that the Roman Empire was ordained by God.

249-251 Persecution under Emperor Decius (7th).

257-260 Persecution under Emperor Valerian (253-260) (8th).

258 Martyrdom of Cyprian of Carthage.

260 Paul of Samosata begins preaching against the divinity of Christ; Synod in Rome condemns Sabellianism and Subordinationism.

264 Excommunication of Paul of Samosata.

265 Homoousios used for first time by Modalist Monarchians of Cyrene.

274-275 Persecution under Emperor Aurelian (9th).

270 Death of Gregory Thaumaturgus; Porphyry of Tyre writes Against the Christians.

284 Diocletian becomes Roman emperor, persecutes Church and martyrs an estimated one million Christians; martyrdom of Cosmas and Damian, Andrew Stratelates ("the General") and 2,593 soldiers with him in Cilicia.

285 Anthony the Great flees to desert.

300 Christian population reaches about 6,200,000, or 10.5% of the population of the Roman Empire.

301 Gregory the Enlightener converts King Tiridates I of Armenia to the Christian faith.

302 20,000 Martyrs burned at Nicomedia.

303 Outbreak of the Great Persecution (303-311) (10th); martyrdom of George the Trophy-bearer.

305-311 Lactantius writes Divinae Institutiones.

306 Synod of Elvira requires clerical celibacy and sets severe disciplinary penalties for apostasy and adultery, becoming the pattern in the West.

308 Pope Marcellus opposes leniency for Christians who lapsed under persecution.

310 Armenia becomes first Christian nation; persecution of Christians under Persian King Shapur II (310-379).

311 Galerius issues Edict of Toleration, ending persecution of Christians in his part of the Roman Empire; Donatist rebellion in Carthage.

312 Vision and conversion of Constantine the Great; defeat of Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge, making Constantine Emperor of the West; martyrdom of Lucian of Antioch.

313 Edict of Milan issued by Constantine the Great and co-emperor Licinius, officially declaring religious freedom in the Roman Empire.

314 Council of Ancyra held; Council of Arles condemns Donatism.

315 Council of Neo-Caesaria held.

318 Publication of On the Incarnation by Athanasius the Great; beginnings of Arian Controversy.

318 Pachomius the Great organizes a community of ascetics at Tabennis in Egypt, founding cenobitic monasticism.

320 Expulsion of Arius by Alexander of Alexandria; martyrdom of Forty Martyrs of Sebaste.

320-21 Licinius' measures against Christians in the East enforced.

321 Constantine declares Sunday a holiday in honor of the Resurrection.

323 Constantine the Great builds church on the site of the martyrdom of Peter in Rome.

324 Constantine defeats Licinius and becomes sole emperor.

​

TIMELINE OF THE CHURCH 325-451

325 Council of Nicea, (First Ecumenical - Imperial Council), convened by Roman Pagan Emperor Constantine. His introduce the paganism in the Roman Catholic Church. 

It is attended by 318 fathers, including Sts. Athanasius the Great, Nicholas of Myra, Spyridon of Trimythus, Alexander of Constantinople, Alexander of Alexandria, Eustace of Antioch, Macarius of Jerusalem, and the legates of St. Sylvester of Rome. It condemns the Arians (also known as Lucianists, who believe the Son was created), Paulians (also known as Sabellians, who believe the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is the same person), Quartodecimans (those who celebrate Pascha on Nisan 14) and Meletians (those who caused a schism and parallel hierarchy in Egypt). This council also formulates the Nicene Creed, sets a united date for celebrating Pascha, condemns mandatory celibacy for clergy, establishes regulations on morality and discipline, decides Christians ought to stand, not kneel, while praying on Sunday, and establishes Rome, Alexandria and Antioch as the three equal spiritual centers (Patriarchates) of Christianity.

326 King Miraeus of Georgia becomes Christian.

328 Athanasius the Great becomes bishop of Alexandria.

329 Athanasius ordains Frumentius (Abba Selama) to priesthood and commissions him to evangelize Ethiopia.

330 Byzantium refounded as Constantinople / New Rome, Christian capital of the Roman Empire, and is dedicated to the Theotokos by Emperor Constantine; Amoun and Macarius the Great found monasteries in the Egyptian desert.

336-338 Athanasius the Great goes into exile in Treves, telling Europeans about the monastic rule of Pachomius the Great, awakening interest in monasticism in Europe.

337 Death of Constantine.

340 Conversion of Wulfila to Arianism.

341 Council of Antioch held; Emperor Constans bans pagan sacrifices and magic rituals under penalty of death.

345 Death of Nicholas of Myra.

348 Death of Pachomius the Great and Spyridon of Trimythous.

350 Ninian establishes the church Candida Casa at Whithorn in Galloway, Scotland, beginning the missionary effort to the Picts.

351 Apparition of the Cross over Jerusalem.

355 Death of Nino of Cappadocia.

356 Death of Anthony the Great.

357 Council of Sirmium issues Blasphemy of Sirmium.

358 Basil the Great founds monastery of Annesos in Pontus, the model for Eastern monasticism.

359 Councils of Seleucia and Rimini.

360 Martin of Tours founds first French monastery at Liguge; first church of Hagia Sophia inaugurated by Emperor Constantius II.

362 Antiochian schism (362-414).

361-63 Julian the Apostate becomes Roman emperor and attempts to restore paganism.

363 Emperor Jovian reestablishes Christianity as the official religion of the Empire.

364 Council of Laodicea held.

367 Athanasius of Alexandria writes Paschal letter, listing for the first time the canon of the New Testament; death of Hilary of Poitiers.

373 Death of Athanasius the Great and Ephrem the Syrian.

374 Election of Ambrose as bishop of Milan.

375 Basil the Great writes On the Holy Spirit.

376 Visigoths convert to Arian Christianity.

379 Death of Basil the Great; Emperor Gratian's rescript Ordinariorum Sententias extends power of Bishop of Rome by allowing him authority over bishops within his own jurisdiction.

380 Christianity established as the official faith of the Roman Empire by Emperor Theodosius the Great; Council of Saragossa condemns Priscillianism.

381 Council of Constantinople (Second Ecumenical), convened by Roman Emperor Theodosius the Great, presided over at first by St. Meletius of Antioch, and, following his repose, by St. Gregory the Theologian, Patriarch of New Rome, and attended by 150 bishops of both east and west. It condemns the Arians (also known as Eunomians or Eudoxians, who believe Christ is created, and of a completely different essence to the Father), Semi-Arians (who believe Christ is of a similar, yet different, essence to the Father), Macedonians (or Pneumatomachi, who believe the Holy Spirit is a mere creature), Apollinarians (who believe Christ has a human body and soul, but not a human rational mind), Sabellians (who believe the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one and the same person), Marcellians (who believe the Son and Holy Spirit are not eternal persons, but are transitions of the Father that would again unite into one person with the Father at the end of time), Photinians (who believe Christ is a mere man), Millenarians (who believe in the literal thousand-year reign), and Quartodecimans (who celebrate Pascha on Nisan 14). This council reaffirms that Christians must stand while praying on Sundays and the days from Pascha to Pentecost. It recognizes Old Rome, Constantinople (New Rome), Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem as the five spiritual centers (Patriarchates) of the Christian Empire. This council also attempts to resolve the Antiochian schism since St. Meletius had reposed. St. Flavian is elected and enthroned as his successor. However, he is later rejected by the bishops of the West, Egypt, Arabia, Africa and Cyprus, who recognize Paulinus, and later his successor, Evagrius, as Bishop of Antioch.

382 Pope Siricius of Rome first to bear title Pontifex Maximus.

383 Death of Frumentius of Axum, bishop of Axum and Apostle to Ethiopia.

384 Council of Bordeaux condemns Priscillian.

385 Death of Gregory of Nyssa.

386 Death of Cyril of Jerusalem.

387 Augustine baptized by Ambrose of Milan.

391 Death of Gregory the Theologian.

391-92 Closing of all non-Christian temples in the Empire; Theodosius the Great ends pagan Eleusinian Mysteries by decree and causes surviving pagan sacrifices at Alexandria and Rome to cease.

392 Death of Macarius the Great.

393 Council of Hippo publishes Biblical canon; Emperor Theodosius bans Olympic Games as a pagan festival.

394 Epiphanius of Salamis attacks teachings of Origen as heretical; Council of Constantinople held; Donatist Council of Bagai in Africa held.

395 Augustine becomes bishop of Hippo in North Africa; placing of the cincture of the Theotokos in the Church of the Virgin in Halkoprateia-Constantinople.

395 Re-division of Empire with death of Emperor Theodosius the Great.

397 Council of Carthage publishes Biblical canon; death of Martin of Tours and Ambrose of Milan.

398 John Chrysostom becomes Archbishop of Constantinople.

398 Martyrdom of 10,000 Fathers of the Scetis by Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria.

399 Anastasius I of Rome and other bishops condemn doctrine of Origen.

401 Augustine of Hippo writes Confessions; Pope Innocent I of Rome supports John Chrysostom and condemns pelagianism.

402 Porphyry of Gaza obtains imperial decree ordering closing of pagan temples in Gaza.

403 Abduction of Patrick to Irelande; visit of Victricius of Rouen to Britain; Synod of the Oak held near Chalcedon, deposing and exiling John Chrysostom.

404 Martyrdom of Telemachus, resulting in Emperor Honorius' edict banning gladiator fights.

405 Translation of Holy Scriptures into Latin as the Vulgate by Jerome.

407 Death of John Chrysostom in exile.

410 Fall of Rome to the Visigoths under Alaric I; escape of Patrick back to Britain; Emperor Honorius tells Britain to attend to its own affairs, effectively removing the Roman presence.

410 Council of Seleucia declares Mesopotamian Nestorian bishops independent of Orthodox bishops.

411 Pelagius condemned at council in Carthage; Rabbula becomes bishop of Edessa.

412 Cyril succeeds his uncle Theophilus as Pope of Alexandria; Honorius outlaws Donatism; Bishops Lazarus of Aix-en-Provence and Herod of Arles expelled from sees on a charge of Manichaeism; Alexandrian Creation Era date finalized at 25 March, 5493 BC.

414 Resolution of Antiochian division.

415 Pelagius cleared at synod in Jerusalem and a provincial synod in Diospolis (Lydda); John Cassian founds convent at Marseilles.

416 Councils in Carthage and Milevis condemn Pelagius and convince Pope Innocent I of Rome to excommunicate him.

418 Foundation of the Arian Visigothic Kingdom, as Emperor Honorius rewards Visigoth federates by giving them land in Gallia Aquitania on which to settle.

418-24 Council in Carthage anathematizes Pelagianism by way of endorsing Augustinian anthropology.

426 Augustine of Hippo writes The City of God.

428 Nestorius becomes patriarch of Constantinople.

429 Pope Celestine I dispatches prominent Gallo-Roman Bishops Germanus of Auxerre and Lupus of Troyes to Britain as missionary bishops and to combat the Pelagian heresy; death of Sisoes the Great.

430 Peter the Iberian founds Georgian monastery near Bethlehem.

431 Council of Ephesus (Third Ecumenical), convened by Emperor Theodosius II, presided over by Pope St. Cyril of Alexandria, and attended by more than 200 fathers. It condemns Nestorianism (the belief that the person of Christ consists of two hypostases, a human and a divine, and that the Theotokos is therefore to be called Christotokos, as if Christ is not God). It also confirms the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, and declares any additions or subtractions to it are henceforth forbidden. It is also declared that bishops are not to interfere in the vicinities and dioceses of other bishops.

432 Return of Patrick to Ireland to begin missionary work; death of Ninian, Apostle to the Picts.

433 Formulary of Peace completes work of Third Ecumenical Council by reconciling Cyril of Alexandria with John of Antioch.

435 Death of John Cassian and Acacius of Melitene; Nestorius exiled by imperial edict to a monastery in a Sahara oasis.

438 Codex Theodosianus published.

439 Carthage falls to Vandals.

444 Death of Cyril of Alexandria; Pope Leo the Great abolishes Gallican vicariate.

445 Founding of monastery at Armagh in northern Ireland; Emperor Valentinian III issues decree recognizing primacy of the bishop of Rome.

447 Earthquake in Constantinople, when a boy was lifted up to heaven and heard the Trisagion.

449 Robber Synod of Ephesus, presided over by Dioscorus of Alexandria, with an order from the emperor to acquit Eutyches the Monophysite.

450 First monasteries established in Wales; death of Peter Chrysologus.

​

TIMELINE OF THE CHURCH 451-843

451 Council of Chalcedon (Fourth Ecumenical), convened by Emperor Marcian and his wife Empress Pulcheria, presided over by Eusebius of Dorylaeum, and attended by 630 bishops all together. It condemns Eutychianism as well as the Monophysitism of Dioscorus (the belief that the two natures of Christ had become one nature after the Incarnation), exonerates those who had been unlawfully deposed by the Robber Council, rejects the acts of that council, except those found to be Orthodox and canonical.

452 Proterios of Alexandria convenes synod in Alexandria to reconcile Chalcedonians and non-Chalcedonians; second finding of the Head of John the Forerunner.

457 Victorius of Aquitania computes new Paschalion; first coronation of Byzantine Emperor by patriarch of Constantinople.

459 Death of Symeon the Stylite.

461 Death of Leo the Great and Patrick of Ireland.

462 Indiction moved to September 1; Studion Monastery founded.

466 Church of Antioch elevates bishop of Mtskheta to rank of Catholicos of Kartli, rendering the Church of Georgia autocephalous; death of Shenouda the Great, abbott of White Monastery in Egypt, considered the founder of Coptic Christianity.

471 Patr. Acacius of Constantinople first called Oikoumenikos ("Ecumenical").

473 Death of Euthymius the Great.

475 Emperor Basiliscus issues letter to bishops of empire, supporting Monophysitism.

477 Timothy Aelurus of Alexandria exiles Chalcedonian bishops from Egypt.

482 Byzantine emperor Zeno I issues Henoticon.

484 Acacian Schism.

484 Founding of Mar Sabbas Monastery by Sabbas the Sanctified; Synod of Beth Lapat in Persia declares Nestorianism as official theology of Assyrian Church of the East, effectively separating the Assyrian church from the Byzantine church.

489 Emperor Zeno I closes Nestorian academy in Edessa, which was then transferred under Sassanian Persian auspices to Nisibis, becoming the spiritual center of the Assyrian Church of the East.

490 Brigid of Kildaire founds monastery of Kildare in Ireland.

494 Pope Gelasius I of Rome delineates relationship between Church and state in his letter Duo sunt, written to Emperor Anastasius I.

496 Remigius of Rheims baptizes Franks into Orthodox Christianity.

500 Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite writes The Mystical Theology.

506 Church of Armenia separates from Chalcedonian Orthodoxy.

507 Clovis I defeats the Arian Visigoths at Battle of Vouillé near Poitiers, ending their power in Gaul.

518 Severus of Antioch deposed by Emperor Justin I for Monophysitism; Patr. John II of Constantinople is addressed as Oikoumenikos Patriarches ("Ecumenical Patriarch").

519 Eastern and Western churches reconciled with end of Acacian Schism.

521 Birth of Columba of Iona.

527 Dionysius Exiguus calculates the date of birth of Jesus incorrectly; foundation of St. Catherine's Monastery on the Sinai peninsula by Justinian the Great.

529 Pagan University of Athens closed and replaced by Christian university in Constantinople; Benedict of Nursia founds monastery of Monte Cassino and codifies Western monasticism; Council of Orange condemns Pelagianism; death of Theodosius the Great.

529-534 Justinian's Corpus Juris Civilis issued.

530 Brendan the Navigator lands in Newfoundland, Canada, establishing a short-lived community of Irish monks.

532 Justinian the Great orders building of Hagia Sophia; death of Sabbas the Sanctified.

533 Mercurius elected Pope of Rome and takes the name of John II, first pope to change name upon election.

534 Roman Empire destroys the Arian kingdom of Vandals.

536 Menas of Constantinople summons a synod anathematizing Severus of Antioch.

537 Construction of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople completed.

538 Emperor Justinian the Great, via deportations and force, manages to get all five patriarchates offcially into communion.

539 Ravenna becomes exarchate of Byzantine Empire.

541 Jacob Baradeus organizes the Non-Chalcedonian Church in western Syria (the "Jacobites"), which spreads to Armenia and Egypt.

543 Doctrine of apokatastasis condemned by Synod of Constantinople.

544 Jacob Baradeus consecrates Sergius of Tella as bishop of Antioch, opening the lasting schism between the Syriac Orthodox Church and the Chalcedonian Church of Antioch; founding of the monastery at Clonmacnoise in Ireland by Ciaran.

545 David of Wales moves primatial see of Britain from Caerleon to Menevia (St. Davids's).

546 Columba founds monastery of Derry in Ireland.

547 David of Wales does obeisance to the Patriarch of Jerusalem.

553 Council of Constantinople (Fifth Ecumenical), convened by Roman Emperor Justinian I, presided over by Menas of Constantinople, and attended by 165 bishops. It is convened firstly in order to condemn Origenism (belief in the preexistence of souls, reincarnation, that hell is only temporary, that demons will be saved, that there will not be a bodily resurrection, that various inanimate objects contain souls), and secondly in order to condemn the writings of Theodore of Mopsuestia, Theodoret of Cyrus and Ibas of Edessa, on the charge of Nestorianism. These latter condemnations are hurled mainly to please the Monophysites, making union more possible. Thereby it appears that the council is siding with the Monophysites. Pope Vigilius of Rome disagrees at first but is later convinced to sign the edict. This, however, causes schisms in the West.

553 Bishops of Aquileia, Milan, Venetia and the Istrian peninsula in Italy all refuse to condemn the Three Chapters, causing Schism of the Three Chapters in those areas, leading to independence of Patriarch of Venice from Patriarch of Aquileia; Ostrogoth kingdom conquered by the Byzantines after the Battle of Mons Lactarius.

554 Church of Armenia officially breaks with West in 554, during the second Council of Dvin where the dyophysite formula of Chalcedon was rejected.

556 Columba founds monastery of Durrow in Ireland; death of Roman the Melodist.

557 Brendan the Navigator founds monastery at Clonfert, Ireland.

563 Columba arrives on Iona and establishes monastery there, founding mission to the Picts.

569 Final schism between Chalcedonians and non-Chalcedonians in Egypt; David of Wales holds Synod of Victoria to re-assert anti-Pelagian decrees of Brefi.

576 Dual hierarchy henceforth in Alexandria, Chalcedonian (Greek) and Monophysite (Coptic).

577 Patr. John III Scholasticus is responible for the first collection of Canon Law, the Nomocanon, of the Orthodox Church.

579 400 Martyrs slain by Lombards in Sicily.

580 Monte Cassino sacked by Lombards, sending its monks fleeing to Rome; Slavs begin to migrate into the Balkans and Greece.

587 Visigoth King Reccared renounces Arianism in favor of Orthodoxy.

589 Council of Toledo adds Filioque to Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed in an attempt to combat Arianism.

590 Columbanus founds monasteries in France.

593 Anastasius the Sinaite restored as Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch.

596 Gregory the Dialogist sends Augustine along with forty other monks to southern Britain to convert pagans.

597 Death of Columba of Iona.

598 Glastonbury Abbey founded.

600 The Ladder of Divine Ascent written by John Climacus; Gregory the Dialogist inspires development of Gregorian Chant through his liturgical reforms.

601 Augustine of Canterbury converts King Ethelbert of Kent and establishes see of Canterbury.

602 Augustine of Canterbury meets with Welsh bishops to bring them under Canterbury.

604 Mellitus becomes first bishop of London and founds first St. Paul's Cathedral; death of Gregory the Dialogist.

605 Death of Augustine of Canterbury.

610 Heraclius changes official language of the Empire from Latin to Greek, already the lingua franca of the vast majority of the population.

612 Holy Sponge and Holy Lance brought to Constantinople from Palestine.

614 Persians sack Jerusalem under Chosroes II of Persia; Church of the Holy Sepulchre damaged by fire, True Cross captured, and over 65,000 Christians in Jerusalem massacred.

615 Death of Columbanus in Italy.

617 Persian Army conquers Chalcedon after a long siege.

626 Akathist Hymn to the Virgin Mary written.

627 Emperor Heraclius defeats Sassanid Persians at Battle of Nineveh, recovering True Cross and breaking Sassanid power.

630 Second Elevation of the Holy Cross.

633 Death of Modestus of Jerusalem.

635 Founding of Lindisfarne Monastery by Aidan; Cynegils, king of Wessex, converts to Christianity.

636 Capture of Jerusalem by Muslim Arabs after Battle of Yarmuk.

640 Muslim conquest of Syria; Battle of Heliopolis between Arab Muslim armies and Byzantium opens door for Muslim conquest of Byzantine Exarchate of Africa.

641 Capture of Alexandria by Muslim Arabs.

642 Muslim conquest of Egypt.

646 Alexandria recaptured by Muslim Arabs after Byzantine attempt to retake Egypt fails, ending nearly ten centuries of Greco-Roman civilization in Egypt.

648 Pope Theodore I of Rome excommunicates patriarch Paul II of Constantinople.

649 Arabs invade and conquer Cyprus.

650 Final defeat of Arianism as Lombards convert to Orthodoxy.

653 Pope Martin the Confessor arrested on orders of Byzantine Emperor Constans II.

654 Invasion of Rhodes by Arabs.

655 Martyrdom of Martin the Confessor.

657 Founding of Whitby Abbey in Yorkshire, England.

662 Death of Maximus the Confessor.

663 Emperor Constans II is last Eastern emperor to set foot in Rome; Constans II declares Pope of Rome to have no jurisdiction over Archbishop of Ravenna, since that city was the seat of the exarch, his immediate representative.

664 Synod of Whitby held in northern England, adopting Roman calendar and tonsures in Northumbria; Ionian monk Wilfrid appointed as Archbishop of York.

669-78 First Arab siege of Constantinople; at Battle of Syllaeum Arab fleet destroyed by Byzantines through use of Greek Fire, ending immediate Arab threat to eastern Europe.

670 Composition of Caedmon's Hymn by Caedmon of Whitby.

672 First Synod of Hertford called by Theodore of Tarsus, adopting of ten decrees paralleling the canons of the Council of Chalcedon.

673 Second Council of Hatfield upholds Orthodoxy against Monothelitism.

680-681 Council of Constantinople  (Sixth Ecumenical), convened by Emperor Constantine Pogonatus, presided over by St. George of Constantinople, and attended by 170 fathers. It condemns Monothelitism and anathematizes the Monothelite Patriarchs Cyrus of Alexandria, Sergius, Pyrrhus, Paul and Peter of Constantinople, Pope Honorius of Rome, and Bishop Theodore of Pharan. They are then replaced with Orthodox successors.

682 Foundation of Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Abbey in England.

685 First monastics come to Mount Athos; death of Anastasius of Sinai.

685 John Maron elected first Maronite patriarch, founding the Maronite Catholic Church, which embraced Monothelitism, rejected the teaching of the Fifth Ecumenical Council, and separated from the Orthodox Church.

687 Destruction of Whitby Abbey by Danish Vikings; death of Cuthbert of Lindisfarne.

688 Emperor Justinian II and Caliph al-Malik sign treaty neutralizing Cyprus.

690 Witenagamot of England forbids church appeals to Rome.

691 Dome of the Rock completed in Jerusalem.

692 Council of Trullo in Constantinople (Quinisextine - Fifth-and-Sixth Council), convened by Roman Emperor Justinian II Rhinotmetus, presided over by Paul of Constantinople, and attended by 327 bishops, establishes canons regarding church order and discipline, canons which the Fifth and Sixth Ecumenical Councils had been unable to establish.

694 Byzantine army of Justinian II defeated by Maronites, who became fully independent.

697 Council of Birr accepts Roman Paschalion for northern Ireland; at this synod, Adomnán of Iona promulgates his Cáin Adomnáin.

698 Muslim conquest of Carthage; at Synod of Aquileia, bishops of the diocese of Aquileia end the Schism of the Three Chapters and return to communion with Rome.

700 Death of Isaac of Syria.

707 Death of John Maron.

710 Pope Constantine makes last papal visit to Constantinople before 1967.

712 Death of Andrew of Crete.

715 Lindisfarne Gospels produced in Northumbria (Northern England).

715 Grand Mosque of Damascus built over the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist; Al-Aqsa Mosque constructed over site of Church of St. Mary of Justinian; Pictish King Nechtan invites Northumbrian clergy to establish Christianity amongst the Picts.

716 Monastery at Iona conforms to Roman liturgical usage; Boniface's first missionary journey to Frisia.

717 Pictish king Nechtan expels monks from Iona.

717-18 Second Arab siege of Constantinople.

719 Nubian Christians transfer allegiance from Chalcedonian church to Coptic church.

723 Boniface fells Thor's Oak near Fritzlar.

726 Iconoclast Emperor Leo the Isaurian starts campaign against icons.

730 Leo the Isaurian orders destruction of all icons, beginning the First Iconoclastic Period.

731 Bede completes Ecclesiastical History of the English People.

732 Muslim invasion of Europe stopped by Franks at Battle of Tours, establishing a balance of power between Western Europe, Islam and the Byzantine Empire.

733 Byzantine Emperor Leo the Isaurian withdraws the Balkans, Sicily and Calabria from the jurisdiction of the Pope in response to Pope Gregory III of Rome's support of a revolt in Italy against iconoclasm.

734 Egbert becomes bishop of York, founding a library and making the city a renowned centre of learning.

735 Death of Bede; See of York achieves archepiscopal status.

739 Emperor Leo III (717-41) publishes his Ecloga , designed to introduce Christian principle into law; death of Willibrord.

742 After a forty-year vacancy, Stephen IV becomes Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, at the suggestion of Umayyad caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik.

747 Witenagamot of England again forbids appeals to the Roman Pope; Council of Clovesho I adopts Roman calendar, observance of the feasts of Gregory the Great and Augustine of Canterbury, and adopts the Rogation Days.

749 Death of John of Damascus.

750 Donation of Constantine accepted as a legitimate document, used by Pope Stephen II to prove territorial and jurisdictional claims.

751 Lombard king Aistulf captures Ravenna and the Romagna, ending Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna.

752 Death of Pope Zacharias of Rome.

754 Iconoclastic Council held in Constantinople under the authority of Emperor Constantine V Copronymus, condemning icons and declaring itself to be the Seventh Ecumenical Council; Constantine begins dissolution of monasteries.

754 Death of Boniface.

756 Donation of Pepin cedes lands including Ravenna that became basis of Papal States.

768 Wales adopts Orthodox Paschalion and other decrees of the Synod of Whitby at teaching of Elfoddw of Gwynedd.

769 Pope Stephen III of Rome holds a council changing papal election procedure and confirming veneration of icons.

772 Charlemagne starts fighting Saxons and Frisians; Saxony is subdued and converted to Christianity.

781 King Charlemagne of the Franks summons Alcuin of York to head palace school at Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) to inspire revival of education in Europe.

785 Synod of Cealchythe erects the Archbishopric of Lichfield.

787 Council of Nicea (Seventh Ecumenical), convened by Empress Irene and her infant son Constantine VI, presided over by Patriarch Tarasius of Constantinople, and attended by 350 Orthodox bishops, and 17 iconoclastic bishops who repent and are received back into Orthodoxy by the council itself. It annuls the decisions of the Mock Council of 754 and condemns Iconoclasm, while restoring the veneration of the sacred icons.

787 Two councils held in England, one in the north at Pincanhale, and the other in the south at Chelsea, reaffirming the faith of the first Six Ecumenical Councils (the decrees of the Seventh having not yet been received), and establishing a third archbishopric at Lichfield.

792 Synod of Regensburg condemned Adoptionism.

793 Sack of Lindisfarne Priory, beginning Viking attacks on England.

794 Charlemagne convenes council in Frankfurt-in-Main, rejecting decrees of Seventh Ecumenical Council and inserting Filioque into Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.

800 Charlemagne crowned as Holy Roman Emperor by Leo III of Rome on Christmas day, marking the break of Frankish civilization away from the Orthodox Christian Roman Empire; Book of Kells produced in Ireland.

800 Ambassadors of Caliph Harunu al-Rashid give keys to the Holy Sepulchre to Charlemagne, acknowledging some Frankish control over the interests of Christians in Jerusalem ; establishment of the Western Rite Monastery of Saint Mary in Jerusalem.

801 Controversy in Jerusalem over Frankish pilgrims using Filioque.

803 Council of Clovesho II abolishes archbishopric of Lichfield, restoring the pattern of the two metropolitan archbishoprics (Canterbury and York) which had prevailed before 787, and requires the use of the Western Rite amongst the English speaking peoples.

810 Pope Leo III bans use of Filioque.

814 Conflict between Emperor Leo V and Patr. Nicephorus over iconoclasm; Leo deposes Nicephorus, Nicephorus excommunicates Leo.

826 Ansgar arrives in Denmark and begins preaching; King Harald Klak of Denmark converts to Christianity.

828 Death of Patr. Nicephorus I of Constantinople.

829-842 Icon of the Panagia Portaitissa appears on Mount Athos near Iviron Monastery.

842-843 Council of Constantinople ("Triumph of Orthodoxy"), convened by Roman Empress Theodora, presided over by Patriarch Methodius of Constantinople, and attended by several Orthodox hierarchs, annuls the Iconoclastic Council of 815 and restores the veneration of the holy icons. The iconoclasts and all other heretics are anathematized.

836 Death of Theodore the Studite.

​

TIMELINE OF THE CHURCH 843-1054

843 Triumph of Orthodoxy occurs on first Sunday of Great Lent, restoring icons to churches.

850 Third Finding of the head of John the Forerunner.

852 Ansgar founds churches at Hedeby and Ribe in Denmark.

858 Photius the Great becomes patriarch of Constantinople.

860 Christianization of the Rus' Khaganate.

861 Cyril and Methodius depart from Constantinople to missionize the Slavs; Council of Constantinople attended by 318 fathers and presided over by papal legates confirms Photius the Great as patriarch and passes 17 canons.

862 Rastislav of Moravia converts to Christianity.

863 First translations of Biblical and liturgical texts into Church Slavonic by Cyril and Methodius.

863 Venetians steal relics of Apostle Mark from Alexandria.

864 Baptism of Prince Boris of Bulgaria; Synaxis of the Theotokos in Miasena in memory of the return of her icon.

865 Bulgaria under Khan Boris I converts to Orthodox Christianity.

866 Vikings raid and capture York in England.

867 Council of Constantinople, convened by Roman Emperor Michael, presided over by Patriarch Photius of Constantinople, and attended by 500 fathers from East and West (the Westerners were the Archbishops of Treves, Cologne and Ravenna). The Council condemns and deposes Pope Nicholas of Rome on the charges of introducing the heretical filioque clause in the creed, as used by the Pope's missionaries in Bulgaria, and for exercising beyond his authority by interfering in dioceses outside his jurisdiction. Pope Nicholas does not accept his deposition, but dies shortly after his condemnation. 

867 Death of Kassiani, Greek-Byzantine poet and hymnographer, who composed the Hymn of Kassiani, chanted during Holy Week on Holy Wednesday.

869-870 Robber Council of 869-870 held, deposing Photius the Great from the Constantinopolitan see and putting the rival claimant Ignatius on the throne, declaring itself to be the "Eighth Ecumenical Council."

870 Conversion of Serbia; death of Rastislav of Moravia; martyrdom of Edmund, King of East Anglia.

877 Death of Ignatius of Constantinople, who appoints Photius to succeed him.

878 King Alfred the Great of Wessex defeats Vikings; the Treaty of Wedmore divides England between the Anglo-Saxons and the Danes (the Danelaw).

879-880 Council of Constantinople (Eighth Ecumenical), convened by Roman Emperor Basil II, presided over by Patriarch Photius, and attended by 383 bishops of both east and west. It declares the Council of Nicea in 787 to truly be the Seventh Ecumenical Council, and anathematizes those who refuse to recognize it (particularly those in France). It also annuls the Councils of Rome and Constantinople which had condemned Patriarch Photius. In addition, it declares that the Creed, the Symbol of the Faith, must remain exactly as it was handed down by the Holy Fathers. Anyone who dares to make any additions or subtractions (especially in regards to the filioque clause) is anathematized. Finally, it is decreed that the Churches of East and West are not to interfere in one another's jurisdiction, that the west is to depose western bishops and the east is to depose eastern bishops, and that these depositions must be recognized by all of the Churches. This council is also accepted and fully embraced by Pope John VIII of Rome.

885 Mount Athos gains political autonomy.

885 Death of Methodius.

886 Glagolitic alphabet, (now called Old Church Slavonic) adopted in Bulgarian Empire; St Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, captures London from the Danes.

910 Benedictine Abbey of Cluny founded in France.

899 Death of Alfred the Great.

911 Holy Protection of the Virgin Mary.

912 Normans become Christian; Nicholas I Mysticus becomes Patriarch of Constantinople.

927 Church of Bulgaria recognized as autocephalous by Constantinople.

931 Abbott Odo of Cluny reforms monasteries in Aquitaine, northern France, and Italy, starting the Cluniac Reform movement within the Benedictine order, focused on restoring the traditional monastic life, encouraging art and caring for the poor.

935 Martyrdom of Wenceslas, prince of the Czechs.

944 City of Edessa recovered by Byzantine army, including Icon Not Made By Hands.

945 Dunstan becomes Abbot of Glastonbury.

957 Olga of Kiev baptized in Constantinople.

960 Emperor Nicephorus II Phocas re-captures Crete for Byzantines; Dunstan becomes Archbishop of Canterbury, reforming monasteries and enforcing rule of Benedict.

962 Denmark becomes Christian nation with baptism of King Harald Blaatand ("Bluetooth"); Holy Roman Empire formed, with Pope John XII crowning Otto I the Great Holy Roman Emperor.

963 Athanasius of Athos establishes first major monastery on Mount Athos, the Great Lavra.

965 Emperor Nicephorus II Phocas gains Cyprus completely for the Byzantines.

969 Death of Olga of Kiev; Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas captures Antioch and Aleppo from Arabs.

972 Emperor John I Tzimiskes grants Mount Athos its first charter (Typikon).

973 Moravia assigned to the Diocese of Prague, putting the West Slavic tribes under jurisdiction of German church.

975 Emperor John I Tzimiskes in a Syrian campaign takes Emesa, Baalbek, Damascus, Tiberias, Nazareth, Caesarea, Sidon, Beirut, Byblos and Tripoli, but fails to take Jerusalem.

978 Death of King Edward the Martyr.

980 Revelation of the Axion Estin (the hymn "It Is Truly Meet"), with the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to a monk on Mount Athos.

980-985 The Western Rite Monastery of Amalfion is founded on Mount Athos.

987 Sixth Rus-Byzantine War, where Vladimir of Kiev dispatches troops to the Byzantine Empire to assist Emperor Basil II with an internal revolt, agreeing to accept Orthodox Christianity as his religion and bring his people to the new faith.

988 'Baptism of Rus' begins with the conversion of Vladimir of Kiev who is baptized at Chersonesos, the birthplace of the Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox churches; Vladimir marries Anna, sister of Byzantine emperor Basil II.

992 Death of Michael, first Metropolitan of Kiev.

995 Olaf of Norway proclaims Norway to be a Christian kingdom.

1000 Conversion of Greenland and Iceland.

1008 Conversion of Sweden.

1009 Patr. Sergius II of Constantinople removes name of Pope Sergius IV of Rome from diptychs of Constantinople, because the pope had written a letter to the patriarch including the Filioque.

1009 Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem destroyed by the "mad" Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, founder of the Druze.

1012 Caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah issues oppressive decrees against Jews and Christians including the destruction of all Christian and Jewish houses of worship.

1014 Filioque used for first time in Rome by Pope Benedict VIII at coronation of Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor.

1015 Death of Vladimir of Kiev.

1017 Danish king Canute converts to Christianity.

1022 Death of Simeon the New Theologian.

1027 Frankish protectorate over Christian interests in Jerusalem is replaced by a Byzantine protectorate, which begin reconstruction of Holy Sepulchre.

1034 Patriarch Alexius I Studites writes the first complete Studite Typikon, for a monastery he established near Constantinople; this was the Typikon introduced into the Rus' lands by Theodosius of the Kiev Caves.

1036 Byzantine Emperor Michael IV makes a truce with the Caliph of Egypt to allow rebuilding of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre by Byzantine masons; Varangian Guard of the Byzantine Emperor sent to protect pilgrims.

1043 Edward the Confessor crowned King of England at Winchester Cathedral.

1045-1050 Cathedral of Saint Sophia in Novgorod built, the oldest Orthodox church building in Russia, executed in an architectural style more austere than the Byzantine, reminiscent of the Romanesque.

1048 Re-consecration of Holy Sepulchre.

1051 Monastery of the Kiev Caves founded.

​

TIMELINE OF THE CHURCH 1054-1453

1054 Cardinal Humbert excommunicates Michael Cerularius, patriarch of Constantinople, a major centerpoint in the formation of the Great Schism between East and West; First Letter of Michael Cerularius to Peter of Antioch.

1059 Errors of Berengar of Tours condemned in Rome; term transubstantiation begins to come in to use, ascribed to Peter Damian.

1064 Seljuk Turks storm Anatolia taking Caesarea and Ani, conquering Armenia.

1066 Normans invade England flying banner of Pope of Rome, defeating King Harold of England at Battle of Hastings.

1066-1071 Beginning reformation of English church and society to align with Latin continental ecclesiology and politics.

1071 Seljuk Turks defeat Byzantines at the Battle of Manzikert, beginning Islamification of Asia Minor; Norman princes led by Robert Guiscard capture Bari, the last Byzantine stronghold in Italy, bringing to an end over five centuries of Byzantine rule in the south.

1073 Hildebrand becomes Pope Gregory VII and launches the Gregorian reforms (celibacy of the clergy, primacy of papacy over empire, right of Pope to depose emperors); Seljuk Turks conquer Ankara.

1074 Death of Theodosius of the Kiev Caves.

1075 Dictatus Papae document advances Papal supremacy.

1077 The Seljuk Turks capture Jerusalem and kill 3,000 citizens; Seljuks capture Nicea.

1084 Antioch is captured by the Seljuk Turks.

1088 Founding of monastery of John the Theologian on Patmos; election of Pope Urban II, a prominent member of the Cluniac Reform movement .

1095 Launching of the First Crusade.

1098 Anselm of Canterbury completes Cur Deus homo, marking a radical divergence of Western theology of the atonement from that of the East.

1098 Crusaders capture Antioch.

1099 Crusaders capture Jerusalem founding the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem and other crusader states known collectively as "Outremer."

1108 Death of Nicetas of Kiev Caves, Bishop of Novgorod.

1131-1145 Coptic Pope of Alexandria Gabriel II initiates addition of Arabic as a liturgical language with his Arabic translation of the Liturgy.

1144 Second Crusade; Muslims take Christian stronghold of Edessa.

1149 Crusaders begin to renovate Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Romanesque style, adding a bell tower.

1159 John of Salisbury authors Policraticus, a treatise on government drawing from the Bible, the Codex Justinianus, and arguing for Divine Right of Kings.

1170 Miracle of the weeping icon of the Theotokos "of the Sign" at Novgorod; Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland; city of Dublin captured by the Roman Catholic Normans.

1176 Sultanate of Rum defeats Byzantine Empire in the Battle of Myriokephalon, marking end of Byzantine attempts to recover Anatolian plateau; Al-Adil I, Muslim ruler of Egypt, suppresses a revolt by Christian Copts in city of Qift, hanging nearly 3,000 of them.

1179 Pope Alexander III convened the Third Lateran Council, which was attended by a certain Nectarios of the important Basilian Monastery of St. Nicholas of Kasoulon near Otranto, under Norman patronage, who made himself the champion of the Greek Church, and vigorously supported their customs and doctrines.[1]

1180 Last formal acceptance of Latins to communion at an Orthodox altar in Antioch.

1182 Maronites, who assisted the Crusaders during the Crusades, reaffirm their affiliation with Rome in 1182; dedication of Monreale Cathedral in Sicily, containing the largest cycle of Byzantine mosaics extant in Italy.

1186 Byzantine Empire recognizes independence of Bulgaria and Serbia.

1187 Saladin retakes Jerusalem after destroying crusader army at Battle of Hattin, and returns Christian holy places to Orthodox Church.

1189 Third Crusade led by King Richard the Lion-Hearted of England, King Philip Augustus II of France, and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa.

1189 Ethiopian Emperor Gebre Mesqel Lalibela orders construction of Lalibela.

1204 Fourth Crusade sacks Constantinople, laying waste to the city and stealing many relics and other items; Great Schism generally regarded as having been completed by this act; Theodore I Lascaris establishes the Empire of Nicaea.

1207 Stephen Langton divides the Bible into the defined modern chapters in use today.

1220 English Bp. Richard Le Poore is said to have been responsible for the final form of the "Use of Sarum", which had the sterling reputation of being the best liturgy anywhere in the West.

1228 Sixth Crusade results in 10-year treaty starting in 1229 between Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II and Egyptian sultan; Jerusalem ceded to Franks, along with a narrow corridor to the coast, as well as Nazareth, Sidon, Jaffa and Bethlehem.

1231 Papal Inquisition initiated by Pope Gregory IX, charged with suppressing heresy.

1235 Death of Sava of Serbia.

1237 Golden Horde begin subjugation of Russia.

1240 Mongols sack Kiev; Prince Alexander Nevsky defeats Swedish army at Battle of the Neva.

1242 Alexander Nevsky's Novgorodian force defeats Teutonic Knights in Battle of Lake Peipus, a major defeat for the Catholic crusaders.

1244 Jerusalem conquered and razed by Khwarezmian mercenaries (Oghuz Turks) serving under the Ayyubid ruler of Egypt Salih Ayyub, triggering Seventh Crusade.

1247 Ayyubids conquer Jerusalem, driving out the Khwarezmian Turks.

1258 Michael VIII Palaiologos seizes the throne of the Nicaean Empire, founding the last Roman (Byzantine) dynasty, beginning reconquest of Greek peninsula from Latins.

1259 Byzantines defeat Latin Principality of Achaea at the Battle of Pelagonia, marking the beginning of the Byzantine recovery of Greece.

1259-1280 Martyrdom by Latins of monks of Iveron Monastery.

1260 Subjugation of Church of Cyprus to the Roman Catholic Church.

1261 End of Latin occupation of Constantinople and restoration of Orthodox patriarchs; Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos makes Mystras seat of the new Despotate of Morea, where a Byzantine renaissance occurred.

1268 Egyptian Mamelukes capture Antioch.

1269 Orthodox patriarch returns to Antioch after a 171-year exile and usurpation by Latin patriarch.

1274 Second Council of Lyons held, proclaiming union between the Orthodox East and the Roman Catholic West, but generally unaccepted in the East.

1275 Unionist Patriarch of Constantinople John XI Bekkos elected to replace Patriarch Joseph I Galesiotes, who opposed Council of Lyons; 26 martyrs of Zographou monastery on Mt. Athos, martyred by the Latins.

1280 Kebra Nagast ("Book of the Glory of Kings") compiled, a repository of Ethiopian national and religious feelings.

1281 Pope Martin IV authorizes a Crusade against the newly re-established Byzantine Empire in Constantinople, excommunicating Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos and the Greeks and renouncing the union of 1274; French and Venetian expeditions set out toward Constantinople but are forced to turn back in the following year due to the Sicilian Vespers.

1285 Council of Blachernae, convened and presided over by Ecumenical Patriarch Gregory II the Cypriot, condemns the actions of the eastern delegation at the false council of Lyons. It also condemns the Franko-Latins who use of the filioque clause in terms of interpreting the eternal procession of the Holy Spirit as from both the Father and the Son, rather than eternally from the Father alone and through the Son only in a temporal sense.

1291 Fall of Acre; end of crusading in Holy Land.

1298 Ambrose, Augustine, Jerome, and Pope Gregory I are named collectively as the first Great Doctors of the Western Church.

1302 Papal Bull Unam Sanctum issued by Pope Boniface VIII proclaims Papal supremacy.

1326 Metr. Peter moves his see from Kiev to Vladimir and then to Moscow.

1332 Amda Syon, Emperor of Ethiopia begins his campaigns in the southern Muslim provinces, allowing for the spread of Christianity to frontier areas.

1336 Meteora in Greece established as a center of Orthodox monasticism.

1338 Gregory Palamas writes Triads in Defense of the Holy Hesychasts, defending the Orthodox practice of hesychast spirituality and the use of the Jesus Prayer.

1340 Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra founded by Sergius of Radonezh.

1341Council of Haghia Sophia (Ninth Ecumenical) convened by Roman Emperor Andronicus III, presided over by Ecumenical Patriarch John Calecas, and attended by the Patriarchs of Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem, and several bishops and abbots, including St. Gregory Palamas. This council condemns Barlaam of Calabria, who believes the light of Mt. Tabor is created, and who criticizes the mystical Jesus Prayer as a supposed practice of the Bogomils, and charges it for not proclaiming Christ as God. Emperor Andronicus dies after the council's first session, and the second session is convened by de facto Roman Emperor John VI Cantacuzene, and presided over by Patriarch John Calecas. This council condemns Acindynus, who takes the opposite extreme to Barlaam of Calabria, believing that the light of Mt. Tabor is the divine essence itself, rather than God's uncreated grace and energy, distinct from His divine essence.

1342 Patriarchate of Antioch transferred to Damascus under Ignatius II.

1349 Prince Stephen Dushan of Serbia assumes the title of Tsar (Caesar); principality of Galicia (Halitsh) comes under Polish control.

1354 Ottoman Turks make first settlement in Europe at Gallipoli.

1359 Death of Gregory Palamas.

1360 Death of John Koukouzelis the Hymnographer.

1379 Western Great Schism ensues, including simultaneous reign of three Popes of Rome.

1380 English Church reformer John Wyclif writes that the true faith is preserved only in the East, "among the Greeks."

1382-1395 First English Bible translated by John Wyclif.

1383 Stephen of Perm, missionary to Zyrians, consecrated bishop; appearance of Theotokos of Tikhvin icon.

1385 Kreva Agreement provides for conversion of Lithuanian nobles and all pagan Lithuanians to Roman Catholicism, joining Grand Duchy of Lithuania with the Kingdom of Poland through a dynastic union.

1387 Lithuania converts to Roman Catholicism, while most Ruthenian lands (Belarus and Ukraine) remain Orthodox.

1389 Serbs defeated by Ottoman Turks of Sultan Murad I at the battle of Kosovo Polje; death of Lazar, prince of Serbia.

1390 Ottomans take Philadelphia, last significant Byzantine enclave in Anatolia.

1391-1398 Ottoman Turks unsuccessfully besiege Constantinople for the first time.

1410 Iconographer Andrei Rublev paints his most famous icon depicting the three angels who appeared to Abraham and Sarah, the angels being considered a type of the Holy Trinity.

1414-1418 Council of Constance in Roman Catholic Church represents high point for Conciliar Movement over authority of pope.

1417 End of Western Great Schism at the Council of Constance.

1418 Latin monk Thomas à Kempis authors The Imitation of Christ.

1422 Second unsuccessful Ottoman siege of Constantinople.

1423-1424 Council of Siena in the Roman Catholic Church was the high point of conciliarism, emphasizing the leadership of the bishops gathered in council, but the conciliarism expressed there was later branded as a heresy.

1439 Ecclesiastical reunion with West attempted at Council of Florence, where only Mark of Ephesus refuses to capitulate to demands of delegates from Rome.

1440-1441 Encyclical Letter of Mark of Ephesus.

1444 Donation of Constantine proved forgery.

1448 Church of Russia unilaterally declares its independence from the Church of Constantinople.

1452 Unification of Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox Churches in Hagia Sophia on West's terms, when Emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos, under pressure from Rome, allows the union to be proclaimed.

1453 Constantinople falls to invasion of the Ottoman Turks, ending Roman Empire; Hagia Sophia turned into a mosque; martyrdom of Constantine XI Palaiologos, last of the Byzantine Emperors; many Greek scholars escape to the West with books that become translated into Latin, triggering the Renaissance.

​

​