Two thousand years of faith, council, schism, and renewal — and how each era left its mark in stone, mosaic, fresco, and glass. From the catacombs of Rome to the cathedrals of Cebu and the mega-churches of Seoul.
Click any era to expand it. Click again to collapse.
Tradition:Early / Unified ChurchRoman CatholicEastern OrthodoxOriental OrthodoxChurch of the EastProtestantMultiple Traditions
Key Events
c. 33
Pentecost — the Holy Spirit descends; the Church is born in Jerusalem
c. 64–68
Nero's persecution; martyrdom of Peter and Paul in Rome
70
Destruction of the Jerusalem Temple; Christianity separates from Judaism
249–260
Major Roman persecutions under Decius and Valerian
Art of This Era
Earliest Christian art avoids figurative imagery under Roman pressure. The fish (Ichthys), Chi-Rho monogram, vine, peacock, and Good Shepherd appear in catacomb frescoes — sacred meaning encoded in familiar Roman forms. No churches exist yet; the art lives in tombs.
Pilgrimage Places
The Catacombs of Rome (Catacombe di San Callisto)Church of the Holy Sepulchre, JerusalemChurch of the Nativity, Bethlehem
One united 'Great Church' across the Roman Empire, with leadership centres in Rome, Antioch, Alexandria, Ephesus, and Jerusalem.
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This timeline is a guide, not a comprehensive account. Each tradition has its own rich history spanning continents and centuries. We have tried to tell a connected story — rooted in the art and places you can still visit today.
