The Church in the Byzantine Empire
Last updated   12/1/2007     11/30/2007

The emperor was the head of the government and the head of the church.

Organization
The leader of the Church in Constantinople was called the Patriarch.
He was chosen by the emperor.
Metropolitans under him were in charge of important areas.
Under them were the bishops and priests.
Most priets were married.
High church officials came from monastaries and were not married.

Monastaries
Helped the poor.
Ran schools and hospitals for needy children.
The sent missionaries to keep the peace in neighboring lands.
Missionaries translated parts of the Bible.



Cyril
Traveled among the Slavs.
Gave the Slavs a new alphabet.
Called Constantine, name Cyril given after death.
Created by Cyril and called the Cyrillic alphabet.
Cyril and his brother Methodius are the patron saints of Europe.

Icons
Icons are religious images used in worship.
Churches covered their walls with them.
726, Pope Leo orders a stop to the use of icons.
Most people refused to give them up.
843, emperor allows their use.
Council in Rome declared that Leo was no longer a church member.
the Patriarch would not recognize the Pope in Rome as the head of the church.
Pope broke ties with the Byzantine empire.
pope turnrd to the Franks for help.
800, the Pope crowned Charlemagne as the Emperor of the Romans.
1054, break between Western and Eastern Christianity.

Bibliography
Greenblatt, M., and Lemmo, P.S., Human Heritage: A World History; Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2001.

"The Middle Byzantine Period: The 'Second Golden Age' of Byzantium." The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1 Dec. 2007 http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/Byzantium/byz_4.html.