The history of the Catholic Church is the formation, events, and historical development of the Catholic Church through time.
An engraving of St Irenaeus, Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul (now Lyon, France)
Emperor Constantine I established the rights of the Church in the year 315.
Saint Benedict, father of Western monasticism and author of Rule of St Benedict. Detail from fresco by Fra Angelico, c. 1437–46.
Saint Thomas Aquinas carrying the whole Church with his theology
History of the papacy
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Within Catholicism, the pope is head of the Catholic Church, a position which Catholics believe spans from the time of Saint Peter to the present day.
History of the Catholic Church
…History of religion History of the Papacy Persecution of Christians…
According to Catholic doctrine, the popes are successors of Saint Peter (kneeling, right).
Raphael's The Baptism of Constantine depicts Sylvester I instead of his actual baptizer Eusebius of Nicomedia, an Arian bishop.
Justinian I re-conquered Rome and appointed the next three popes.
The papal palace in Viterbo...