The Hagia Sophia (The Great Church of Holy Wisdom), Constantinople. One of the seven wonders of the ancient world — was turned into a mosque by the conquoring Moslems, but today stands as a monument.
| The Byzantine (Constantinopolitan) Tradition History: The word “Byzantine” comes from the name of the ancient port city, “Byzantium,” later named “Constantinople.” Today it is known as “Istanbul.” (from the Greek expression “Eis tin Bolin” which means “towards the city.”) Since the time of Alexander the Great (d. 333 BC) Greek had become as universal as English is today. Constantinople became the vanguard of the ancient Roman Empire and of Eastern Christianity until around the time of the birth of Christopher Columbus!Liturgy & Spirituality: The Liturgy of the Byzantine tradition owes much to the splendor of the royal court of the Byzantine Empire with its elaborate ritual, processions, chant, icons, and mosaics. An icon screen dividing the holy place from the nave creates a sense of mystery. At communion time, the body and blood of Christ are mixed in a chalice and given to the faithful with a spoon. (But the Melkites give communion by intinction.) |
Byzantine spirituality emphasizes the unknowable mystery and majesty of God. Yet God does not remain distant; on the contrary, we are each called to share in the divine nature through Christ. God remains unknowable in his essence while communicating his love. We participate in his very life by communing with him through his body, the church. All of the fourteen Churches listed below follow the Byzantine Liturgical Rite but have their own variations and history. (Some population estimates may be inaccurate for Churches which were affected during Communism). Albanian Church – Christianity came to Albania before the 4th century. Since then most Albanians have become Moslem. After the East-West schism of 1054 a small group became Catholic in the 16th century, but soon after disappeared. In 1920 another small group became Catholic. In 1967 the government of Albania outlawed all religion. Today Albanian Byzanti- |