Pagan temples converted to christianity. Holt & Co, 1998), 90.
Pagan temples converted to christianity. [197] Temple of Hathor, Dark interior, Dendera, Egypt.
Pagan temples converted to christianity : 65–72 None of the churches attributed to Martin of Tours can be proven to have existed in the fourth century. The last remnants of Paganism would hold out farther north in Scandinavia, where it was harder to eliminate the old religion. But the existence of temples converted into churches in all provinces of the Roman Empire provides evidence that the law was not universally observed,2 and it has long been recognized that the law was Nov 27, 2019 · Garni Temple “survived the destruction of numerous pagan temples following countless invasions, the Armenian conversion to Christianity, and earthquakes, until its collapse in the catastrophic Under Constantine, most of the temples remained open for the official pagan ceremonies and for the more socially acceptable activities of 'libation' and the offering of incense. Arising spontaneously in the ancient world, holidays and feasts developed in Syria and Egypt, Persia and Mesopotamia, in Gaul and the dark woods of present-day Germany, and in the Roman Empire. upvotes · comments Jul 19, 2024 · Destruction and Conversion of Pagan Temples. This was to remove any political incentive to remaining Pagan, and lesson the likelihood of a Pagan persecution of Christians in the region. The Christian Church actively worked to convert pagans to Christianity, and in some cases, this resulted in the destruction of pagan sanctuaries. Augustine; filled pagan temples with holy water and relics rather than destroying the temples St. Here are 10 great locations in Lithuania to visit that will bring you closer to the old gods!To read this article, try a €5. ” Shortly afterward, the mutiny took place precisely as the hermit had predicted. Once he converted, most of the elite converted as well. P. This blending of cultures is evident in various artifacts and historical records. Constantine instituted an edict in AD 353 which denied pagan temples access to financial support from public taxes, not donations. While Christians did destroy some pagan sites, oftentimes they renovated, altered, or reused ancient Greek temples for their own purposes. E. [11]:xxv In Africa, the city of Cyrene has good evidence of In 1060, two Swedish bishops, Egino and Adalward, came to their Christian sovereign with an ambitious plan: promote Christianity by demolishing the heart of pagan worship—the Uppsala temple. There is perhaps no more important time in a to-be Christian’s life than his conversion. [193]: 65–72 None of the churches attributed to Martin of Tours can be proven to have existed in the fourth century. May 31, 2020 · Imperial legislation of the 340/350s and literary texts produced by both Christians and pagans evoke the impression that the religious landscape during the period was dominated by conflict and the erection of boundaries; furthermore, many of them want us to believe that pagan religion under enormous pressure was facing the imminent threat of complete extirpation. The site is also referenced in the Ynglinga Saga of the Heimskringla written by the Icelandic mythographer Snorri Sturluson (l. Jun 23, 2016 · The Pagan holiday of Joninės is coming up this weekend in Lithuania. Just being factual. 5 million visitors cross under its portico to marvel at the beauty, engineering and Constantinople/Byzantium existed before Constantine the Great was born. It is important to note that Constantine simply gives Christianity the same privileges paganism already had in his time. Holt & Co, 1998), 90. Along with the pyramids of Giza and the tombs at the Valley of the Kings, Egypt is famous for its many ancient temples. In terms of visual effect on the urban landscape, this rare form of temple conversion is indisputably high-impact. The perpetrators were often monks, a “marauding band of bearded black-robed zealots” who in Egypt and parts of the Levant acted as private militias, beyond the control of A church was built for her on the Hill of Tepeyac, which was also the site of the pagan Nahua goddess Tonantzin. Jan 5, 2024 · Constantine was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. Once Christianity was the state religion pagan temples stope receiving funding and gradually lost most of there wealth and influence before being shut down. The researchers say the latest findings, announced at the annual meeting of the Archeological Institute of America, shed new Jan 12, 2024 · The Spello temple serves as proof that Constantine’s conversion to Christianity did not bring an end to earlier Roman practices, some of which—like the imperial cult—even continued to be supported by the Christian emperors themselves. As a result, the rise of Christianity led to the decline of paganism. I then summarize the climate of the third and fourth centuries and the adaptations of Christianity that allowed it to flourish, specifically the writers who portrayed Christianity as the preserve of Roman civilization in the face of There are plenty of theories about a more cynical explanation for his conversion (most revolving around the fact that Constantine went on to plunder the temples of the old Roman gods), but regardless of the fact that he used his conversion to help himself to the wealth of “pagan” temples, he actively supported Christian institutions and Although the direct transformation of pagan temples into Christian churches was relatively rare, for both practical and ideological reasons (Ward-Perkins 2003; Bayliss 2004), more common was the Christian ‘re-branding’ of pagan sacred places, particularly those associated with nature (Grinsell 1986; Davies and Robb 2002). Converted from a house (probably around 232), it was much less visible than pagan temples and even the synagogue, but its existence must have been public knowledge. In a letter to Mellitus, a member of Augustine’s mission, Gregory encourages Mellitus to convert pagan temples into churches, and to adapt some pagan rituals, such as animal sacrifices, to Christian purposes: “Thus while some outward rejoicings are preserved, they will be able to share more easily in inward rejoicings” (HE 1. Constantine had many Christian influences throughout his life. The conversion played a key role in the Pantheon’s survival, as the papacy had the resources to repair and maintain Archaeologist Luke Lavan[108] says that, if one accepts all claims, even the most dubious ones, concerning destruction of pagan shrines and temples in Gaul, that only 2. In the Significant communities of Jews and Christians populated its cities and their territories amid the great pagan Greek majority. The conversion to Christianity did not completely eradicate pagan traditions. Both were dedicated to the Virgin Athena and both were rededicated to the Virgin Mary. Hanson says the direct conversion of temples into churches did not begin until the mid fifth century in any but a few isolated incidents. Seen this way, Christianity is like a spirit filling and animating a Hellenic cultural framework. Anglo-Saxon paganism, sometimes termed Anglo-Saxon heathenism, Anglo-Saxon pre-Christian religion, Anglo-Saxon traditional religion, or Anglo-Saxon polytheism refers to the religious beliefs and practices followed by the Anglo-Saxons between the 5th The analytical concept memory manipulation is employed in order to 1), reassess Christian responses to pagan material culture that are established in scholarly debate, such as conversion and destruction, and 2), reassess the categories of pagan material traditionally associated with the Christianisation, such as temple buildings and imagery. 3 Early Christian atti1 Deichmann 1939: 115–36. 10 6. 300, perhaps 5 to 10 per cent in most cities except in some places like Nicomedia and Eumeneia, and in villages throughout Phrygia, where large numbers lived. As Christianity gained dominance, many pagan temples were either destroyed or converted into Christian churches. [66] [note 3] According to modern archaeology, of the thousands of temples that existed across the empire, 120 pagan temples were converted to churches with the majority dated after the fifth century. Original construction is estimated Oct 13, 2024 · Unfortunately for the Pagans, they would inevitably have to convert to Christianity, a religion rapidly spreading over the European continent, starting around the 4th century, and ending around the 10th century. : 257 In Rome the first recorded temple conversion was the Pantheon in 609. Other competing mystery religions like the Manichean's were violently persecuted. 99 monthly subscription The pagan thunder god that many locals, and possibly Vladimir I, worshipped before Christianization. Instead, a new way of understanding him may be opened. he conversion of pagan cult places into churches began in the ith and culminated in the sixth century, by which time most pagan shrines were not Nautin, "La conversion du temple de Philae en 6glise chretienne," CahArch 17 (1967), 1-43, esp. From there things only got tougher for pagans. Churches and monasteries sprang up everywhere, including at the Khor Virap, Gregory's home for so long, which was eventually converted into a monastery. Bards/Storytelling The bards had belief in many gods and were renown for their singing and storytelling. Jan 17, 2014 · The shift from Anglo-Saxon paganism to Christianity was a gradual process. Significant temples, like the Pantheon, were converted into churches, symbolizing the shift from paganism to Christianity. As Roman temples transitioned to Christian spaces, various architectural adaptations were made: Key Modifications: These included: Conversion from traditional temple layouts to basilica structures, which featured a longitudinal plan and a central nave. Hanson, “The Transformation of Pagan Temples into Churches in the Early Christian Centuries,” Journal of Semitic Studies 23. Nov 3, 2023 · Alexandria, the New York of its time, has lots of stories about Christian mobs, murders, temples claimed and converted into churches and sanctuaries destroyed. Feb 29, 2024 · Christianity’s ascent spelled the death knell for Europe’s vibrant mosaic of pagan religions, traditions, and cults. Coming from a polytheistic background, after having previously been raised in the paganism of his father, his acceptance of said deity was, at least at that moment in time, not necessarily a conversion to monotheism, especially since he personally was not properly introduced to (nor particularly acquainted with) it before, his mother Helen's Well, Olaf I made it his priority to convert the country to Christianity using all means at his disposal. So traces of pre-Christian folk religions gradually became He also gave christian churches the right to receive 'inheritances' same as the pagan great temples. Sitz challenges that view, arguing on topographical, architectural, and cultural grounds for a late antique Conversion to Christianity was a key cultural process that saw the transformation of Europe from the Classical world to medieval Christendom. '4 Even Page, after a detailed examination of Bede's story about King Edwin of Northumbria's conversion to Christianity, stated that his 'purpose was not to reject Bede as an authority on paganism, Nov 10, 2021 · In a supposed letter by Constantine, the Letter to the Eastern Provincials (Eusebius, Life of Constantine, Book II, chapter 48-60) presents the wish that all his subjects should convert to Christianity but makes it clear that pagan worship was not to be suppressed by force - change by force only creates anger, and, therefore, the ignition for Displacing one faith with another, while keeping the pagan architecture intact, may serve as an analogy for the Christian appropriation of pagan piety. Lithuanians' contacts with the Christian religion predated the establishment of the Duchy of Lithuania in the 13th century. Instead, there was a period of religious syncretism where both Christian and pagan practices coexisted. The Temple of Garni, the last standing pagan temple in Armenia following the nation’s conversion to Christianity in 301 AD, and also perhaps the easternmost building of the Graeco-Roman world. Nov 27, 2018 · That’s what makes the Pantheon, an ancient Roman pagan temple turned church, such an extraordinary building. Constantine appointed mainly Christians to be provincial governors and forbade pagan governors the long-established custom of preceding The right half of the front panel of the 7th-century Franks Casket, depicting the Anglo-Saxon (and wider Germanic) legend of Wayland the Smith. As a child the impact of his father, Constantius (250306), played a major role in Constantine’s view toward - Christians and the Battle of Milvian Bridge was a turning point in the view of Nov 10, 2024 · Many pagan temples were either destroyed or repurposed for Christian worship. The Christianization of sites that had been pagan occurred as a result of conversions in early Christian times, as well as an important part of the strategy of Interpretatio Christiana ("Christian reinterpretation") during the Christianization of pagan peoples. Christians were a tiny minority c. The Consequences of the Christian Conversion of Constantine 6 Christians since the same favor was not shown to pagan priests. 2 The Attitude towards Pagan Temples The study of the conversion of temples into churches is fraught with historical, archaeological, philological, and religious problems. Paganism is a term which, from a Western perspective, has come to connote a broad set of spiritual or cultic practices or beliefs of any folk religion , and of historical and contemporary polytheistic religions in particular. Blending Pagan and Christian Practices As in the case of Hadrian’s library, Christians converted the space to serve their needs and perhaps to establish their presence in the city of Athens. converted to Christianity with help from St. com Jan 8, 2024 · The ruins of an ancient pagan temple under a parking lot in central Italy 70 miles (112. Conversion and Mixed Fruits of Christianity Constantine’s conversion gives insight into his Christian and pagan convictions. Oct 8, 2017 · Using the case study of Rome, Schuddeboom also suggests that temples being converted to churches was usually a pragmatic act rather than one meant to demonstrate the “triumph” of Christianity over paganism. Jun 18, 2024 · The conversion of Britain to Christianity wasn’t just a simple swap of one religion for another. Boniface A British monk, bishop, set up monasteries, chopped down an oak tree dedicated to Thor, a Frankish god, and many pagan witnesses converted to the faith (Germany) The New Testament gives evidence of at least four styles of Christian worship: temple worship (Acts 2:46), synagogue worship (Acts 16:13, 16), a fellowship meal concluded by the Lord’s Supper (1 Aug 9, 2012 · The typology of the Early Christian basilicas deriving from the transformation of pagan temples as a rule ,depends on the form of the ancient cultural edifice which is reused and adapted to the needs and functions of the new religion. This viewpoint has been called into question by modern scholars who maintain that temple conversions were driven primarily by pragmatic motivations. The first known record of the name Lithuania (Litua), recorded in the Annals of Quedlinburg in 1009, relates to Chalcedonian missionaries led by Bruno of Querfurt, who baptised several rulers of the Yotvingians, a nearby Baltic tribe. Indians made pilgrimages to this site for centuries, and even well into the 18th century, Indians that made this pilgrimage were going to pay homage to Tonantzin (not Guadalupe). Early Pagan Practices R. Oct 7, 2017 · While some pagan temples were indeed destroyed completely for their idolatry, Rome's remains would suggest that far more were simply converted, restored and reused in a new, more Christian See full list on discover. 2 Religious variety: ritual practice, social norms, and private cult. Mystery cults had limited membership (typically the rich, who didn’t need 1-3, above) and the old pagan temples weren’t active social centers in the way that churches became (“hungry? That sucks. Nov 8, 2021 · Many previously pagan holy places were converted to Christian use. conversion comes from the debate over his legitimacy as a convert to Christianity. The establishment of Christian churches on former temple sites. The present article puts both these perspectives to the test by examining the temple conversions in the city of Rome thinking he was either a saved Christian or a condemned pagan. “Many men wilt thou bring to faith and baptism,” the prophet said, “and both to thy own and others’ good. Dec 4, 2021 · Christianity now had the upper hand and Constantine and his successors had begun promoting Christianity at the expense of the pagan legacy and culture of the Empire with various temples already Sep 22, 2017 · The conversion of temples into churches has traditionally been explained as a symbol of Christian triumph over pagan religions. . The article has a helpful map within it. [53] Church restrictions opposing the pillaging of pagan temples by Christians were in place even while the Christians were being persecuted by the pagans. Convert to Christ or have your head chopped off. accepting 'the descriptions [of pagan temples] are just a bit too explicit to be ignored. 7 Sep 23, 2021 · It is described by the 11th-century historian Adam of Bremen as the most significant pagan site in the region and was destroyed by the Christian King Inge the Elder c. John visits the city of Ephesus and its renowned temple to the goddess Athena This is a list of notable converts to Christianity from pagan religions. Sep 12, 2017 · An altar was constructed along with an iconostasis in the apse where a Greek temple used to be. Sep 15, 2024 · See especially Richard P. The Triumph of Christianity over Paganism, a painting by Gustave Doré (1899). R. In 380 Theodosius made Christianity the official state religion of the empire and dismantled many old pagan institutions like the Vestal Virgins and either supported or failed to punish individuals responsible for the destruction of pagan temples. The Christian presence in Dura Europos seems to have had little effect on the townscape. The Parthenon, for instance, was converted into a Christian basilica, reflecting the architectural changes required for its new function. The building was also redecorated, with Christian icons being painted or engraved into the marble of the columns, while pagan sculptures from the time it was a temple to Athena were removed and either destroyed or relocated. In the later part of his reign, Theodosius issued many decrees (i. [192]: 257 In Rome the first recorded temple conversion was the Pantheon in 609. C. One of the most magnificent Roman buildings in Rome is the Pantheon – it’s a survivor because it went from being a pagan temple to a Christian basilica. It is Oct 6, 2015 · I was in Rome last month and saw evidence of pagan temples converted into Christian churches – either being converted for new use or rebuilt using materials from the old temple. Aug 25, 2015 · Christianity began and developed within the political and cultural framework of the Roman Empire. It is in the late 6 th century and early 7th century where there seems to be a noticeable eagerness on the part of Christians to convert important pagan temples into churches. Introduction: Roman Empire and Christianity The birth and early development of interesting features in the passage from paganism to Christianity. [54] What were Pope Gregory the Great's instructions regarding pagan temples after the people had converted to Christianity? Pope Gregory the Great's instructions regarding pagan temples after the people had converted to Christianity were to destroy as few temples as possible and fill the majority of the temples with holy water and relics so that Mar 29, 2018 · The power struggle between the Christian and pagan gods is on full display in a wide range of ancient texts. Paganism is commonly used to refer to various religions that existed during Antiquity and the Middle Ages, such as the Greco-Roman religions of the Roman Empire, including the Roman imperial cult, the various mystery religions, religious philosophies such as Neoplatonism and Gnosticism, and more localized ethnic Jul 6, 2022 · Throughout much of the Mediterranean, particularly in Greece and Italy, ancient pagan temples and sites of importance to non-Christians were converted into Christian churches and places of worship. For example, the British Isles had been largely Christianized under the late Roman Empire. Jun 16, 2024 · Christianity led to the closure of pagan temples, with the Philae Temple converted into a church in the reign of Emperor Justinian. In Rome the first recorded temple conversion was the Pantheon in 609. Fletcher, The Barbarian Conversion: From Paganism to Christianity (New York: H. He also gave out tax cuts and other economic incentives to convert, which definitely helped the process. 30; trans Aug 7, 2024 · As Christianity spread, many pagan temples were repurposed or destroyed. , the Few pagan temples were destroyed,5 and out of roughly three hundred recorded temple conversions into churches (this is a generous estimate) only few took place in the fourth and ith century. 4% of all the known temples were destroyed there by violence, and that occurred in the late fourth century and later. Apr 25, 2018 · Nixey powerfully describes the ruthless destruction of pagan temples, shrines, and institutions in the century after Constantine’s decision to tolerate the new faith. Jul 19, 2024 · The Shift from a Pagan to Christian Identity in the Roman Empire. ”). As Christianity spread long ago, the Church found it easier to convert people if they kept some familiar parts of their culture. 1080. The persistence of certain pagan concepts and practices in Christianity blurs the line between Christian and pagan. The Pantheon is, in fact, both thousands of years old—it was built between 113 and Apr 19, 2023 · It is said that Emperor Theodosius and some Christian emperors of the late Roman Empire allowed pagan temples to remain because he saw them as remarkable artworks worth preserving. Jesus had clearly authorised forcible conversions: “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled” (Luke 14:23). Even though Catholicism is based on Christian beliefs, some rituals and practices from pagan religions in ancient times blended into Catholic tradition over the years. Apr 11, 2020 · Most temples to the traditional deities, though, were either simply abandoned or converted into Christian churches. It was a complex process where Christian teachings blended with local pagan practices. They believed poetry was just as important as other aspects of life such as hunting,farming, and many more. Pagan traditions and celebrations preceded the onset of Christianity. The Norse of Scandinavia, the Druids in England and Ireland,… This so starved non-Christian temples of operating cash that, by the time Constantine died, most of them had gone completely out of business and the rest had sharply curtailed operations This is close but incorrect. Architectural Adaptations: From Pagan to Christian Spaces. The three Republican temples were converted into this Christian basilica in the 11th century AD. Dec 26, 2018 · Henceforth, a major strategy for converting Pagans became the attempted conversion of Pagan kings in Pagan lands. But even in the outer regions of the classical world, far from the Christian epicenters, people were forcibly converted by having their spiritual places destroyed. Hanson says the direct conversion of temples into churches began in the mid-fifth century but only in a few isolated incidents. the floor area of the structure from approximately 620 square metres as a temple to 2000 square metres as a church. 1179-1241) and the Gesta Danorum of Saxo For many earlier historians, this created the impression of on–going violent conflict between pagans and Christians on an empire-wide scale with the destruction of the Serapeum being only one example of many temples having been destroyed by Christians. This article explores how early Christian missionaries and converts in Britain merged these traditions to create a unique and lasting faith. But things were different in Rome, particularly by the time of Constantine. The Parthenon in Athens, originally dedicated to the goddess Athena, was converted into a Christian church in the 6th century. Nov 10, 2024 · V. Theodosian decrees) that clamped down on paganism, Hellenistic religion, and Arianism. The Byzantine emperor who encouraged Vladimir to convert to Christianity and offered a political marriage alliance with his sister, Anna. For instance, the Parthenon in Athens was originally built in the fifth century BCE as a temple to the virgin goddess Athena, but, in the late sixth century CE, it was converted into a Christian church to the Virgin Mary. In Norway it was simple. Many of the pagan Anglo-Saxon religious festivals were reinterpreted by believers of Christianity, and converted to Christian feast Mar 19, 2024 · In the case of Ankara’s Temple of Roma and Augustus, questions persist as to whether the building was ever converted to Christian use in Late Antiquity; consensus is that it was not Christianized until the middle Byzantine period. hubpages. For three centuries, the pagan empire persecuted the Christians because their religion represented a ‘rival’ form of universalism and forbade its adherents to offer religious worship to the emperor. Mar 12, 2018 · Indeed, some of these Christian emperors even advocated for tearing down pagan temples and forcing pagans to convert. 1. Built during the reign of Constantine in the fourth century C. The lights in the ancient temples were extinguished, the singing of their 2. Jan 1, 2011 · The evidence of domestic artefacts bearing religiously inspired imagery from Sagalassos (south-west Turkey) is used here to trace how the religious revolution of Late Antiquity affected daily life R. The destruction of pagan temples and statues was seen as a way to eliminate the influence of pagan beliefs and practices. Based on such developments, Ehrman offers this general conclusion: One of the greatest aspects of ancient paganism, taken as a whole, was the widespread willingness to accommodate and even revel in diversity. pagan temples and shrines still remaining intact, and the purification of their sites by the setting up of a cross. [197] Temple of Hathor, Dark interior, Dendera, Egypt. The money allocated to the Church was an intent to put the latter only on an equal footing with the pagan temples. Now get off the steps before you become hungry and bruised. The study of conversion in the early medieval world has increasingly become a focus of study for both historians and archaeologists, but there has been a noticeable lack of engagement with the methodological and theoretical problems underpinning any Mystery cults and old pagan temples lacked the above. This is a common way to describe what took place. This included the removal of pagan idols and the installation of Christian altars. Jan 31, 2018 · It was the first Roman pagan temple to be consecrated as a Christian church. It would take 1500 years to rediscover the original Roman technology used to build its dome and today over 7. Gough, "A Temple and Church at Ayag (Cilicia)," AS 4 (1954), 49-64 Conversion into Christianity came with many benefits, and with the Christians actively persecuting the old Roman religions, halting maintenance of and construction of Pagan Temples, Christianity came to dominate. Exurines and statuettes -voto fig were representative of this process, in which the pre-Christian faithful asked for a favor in exchange for a sacrifice or a gift. Aug 7, 2024 · Similar transformations occurred throughout Greece, with temples like the Erechtheion and the Temple of Hephaestus being converted into churches. 65 km) north of Rome, sheds light on the cultural shift during the transition from Roman imperial theology to Christianity. Removal or alteration of pagan May 30, 2018 · This is Rome’s breathtaking, mind-blowing Pantheon, built first as a pagan temple before the birth of Christ and later adopted by the new religion. There are plenty of theories about a more cynical explanation for his conversion (most revolving around the fact that Constantine went on to plunder the temples of the old Roman gods), but regardless of the fact that he used his conversion to help himself to the wealth of “pagan” temples, he actively supported Christian institutions and Whole countries were converted by force, being given a choice between adopting Christianity and suffering an unpleasant death. In many cases, Christian symbols were inscribed on repurposed materials to cleanse them of their pagan past. Though Lithuania is a predominantly Catholic nation, it was the last country in Europe to convert to Christianity, and many of its Pagan traditions and customs have survived. 2 (1978): 257–67, especially 263, 266; Bryan Ward-Perkins, “Reconfiguring Sacred Space: From Pagan Shrines to Christian Churches,” in Die spätantike Stadt und ihre Christianisierung There are plenty of theories about a more cynical explanation for his conversion (most revolving around the fact that Constantine went on to plunder the temples of the old Roman gods), but regardless of the fact that he used his conversion to help himself to the wealth of “pagan” temples, he actively supported Christian institutions and R. Over time however their pagan temples converted into Christian Churches as the rise of Christianity happened. 79See, for example, one of the earliest Christian churches in Cilicia, the church at Aya? built on a pagan temple (probably of Zeus) dating from the end of the 5th century: M. 1-8. During the 7th century most of the Anglo-Saxon nobility was converted to Christianity and, over time, the general population followed suit. By destroying temples and torturing and killing pagan resisters he succeeded in making every part of Norway at least nominally Christian. Jan 9, 2024 · In a small town north of Rome, researchers have unearthed a 1,600-year-old temple dedicated to a Roman emperor’s ancestors. The fundamental rite of traditional cults was sacrifice, especially of animals, but also of incense and other vegetable matter; scholars routinely speak of ‘blood sacrifice’, but that idiom does not mirror Roman and Greek custom (Schultz 2016; Naiden 2012: 70–81). As Christianity gained more power and influence in the Roman Empire, there was a noticeable shift in the identity of the empire from a pagan to a Christian one. e. Basil II. None of the churches attributed to Martin of Tours can be proven to have existed in the fourth century. In fact, many pagans faced persecution rather than favor under Constantine. Constantine also didn't destroy pagan temples considering he was a pagan for most of his life and didn't convert to Christianity until his deathbed (and Christianity wouldn't become the official religion for another 45 years). Pagan temples and shrines were destroyed or converted into Christian churches, and pagan rituals were banned. In 609 Pope Boniface IV obtained leave from the Byzantine Emperor Phocas to convert the Pantheon in Rome into a Christian church, a practice similar to that recommended eight years earlier by Pope Gregory I to Mellitus regarding Anglo-Saxon holy places, in order to ease the Feb 28, 2018 · The old pagan temples were torn down, Zoroastrian sites were converted to Christian ones, and the whole nation was obliged to embrace the new faith. iisfbrmdfnideekmpbsndzojlsxllevsyfdigqmzuwtfaqljrjoii