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Tertullian mentions the British Church as operational in AD208 and Origen mentions it in AD238. In AD314 The Primate of the British Church, Adelfius of Caerleon, Bishop Eborius of York and Bishop Restitutus of London all attended the Council of Arles. In AD 325, Saint Athanasius specifically noted the British Church assenting to the decisions of Nicaea I.
The British church was a [[missionary ]] church with figures such as St Illtud, St Ninian and St Patrick evangelising in Wales, Scotland and Ireland, but the invasions by the pagan Angles, Saxons and Jutes set the Church back. The incomers as is now known, did not drive the Britons out, but actually intermarried with them, and many Britons remained living in the newly conquered areas. The Church no doubt was muted and probably impotent at these times. There were those outside who thought it should be more militant in returning to evangelise the Anglo-Saxons. In 597 a mission sent by St [[Gregory the Dialogist]] and led by St [[Augustine of Canterbury]] landed in Kent to begin the work of converting these pagan insurgents.
However we know that Augustine met a British Bishop where he landed in Kent and that the British Church numbered around 120 Bishops at the time of his ecclesiastical invasion of an existing Church which was in full communion with the rest of the worldwide Church.
::*[[Apostle Peter]] who, after visiting Milan, had "passed over to the island of Britain, now called England, (where) he spent many years and turned many erring Gentiles to faith in Christ";
::*[[Apostle Aristobulus]] (brother of St. [[Apostle Barnabas|Barnabas]]), who is called the Apostle of Britain and who was its first bishop; and
::*[[Apostle Simon]] the Canaanite and Zealot. In these Islands, the Celtic Church had shone forth - especially during the glorious period known as the "Age of Saints" when its [[missionaries ]] preached throughout much of Europe, becoming '[[Saint titles|Equals to the Apostles]]'.
::*Apocryphal legend claims that [[Joseph of Arimathea]] accompanied the [[Apostle Philip]], [[Lazarus]], [[Mary Magdalene]] & others on a preaching mission to Gaul. {{citation|Name of Apocryphal book}}.
::*[[Eusebius of Caesarea]], (AD 260-340) Bishop of Caesarea and father of ecclesiastical history wrote: ''"The Apostles passed beyond the ocean to the isles called the Britannic Isles."''
*325 [[First Ecumenical Council]] of Nicea convened by the Roman Emperor [[Constantine the Great|Constantine]].
*337 Constantine received "Christian" baptism on his deathbed; joint rule of Constantine's three sons: Constantine II (to 340); Constans (to 350); Constantius (to 361)
*350 [[Ninian]] establishes the church Candida Casa at Whithorn in Galloway, Scotland, beginning the [[missionary ]] effort to the Picts.
*380 Pelagius<ref group="note">St. Jerome suggests that this Pelagius was of Scottish descent but in such terms that it is uncertain as to whether he was from Scotland or Ireland. He is also frequently referred to as a British monk and Augustine has been documented as referring to him as "Brito" to distinguish him from Pelagius of Tarentum.</ref> enters Britain from Rome and introduces the heresy of Pelagianism.<ref group="note">http://www.seanmultimedia.com/Pie_Pelagius_Synod_Lydda_415AD.html</ref>
*383 Rome appoints Magnus Maximus as emperor in Britain while conquering Gaul, Spain and Italy.
*418 ''Pelagianism is condemned at the [[Councils of Carthage|Council of Carthage]]''
*419 King [[Brychan of Brecknock]] born, ca. 419, in South Wales.
*429 [[Celestine of Rome|Celestine I]] dispatches prominent Gallo-Roman Bishops [[Germanus of Auxerre]] and Lupus of Troyes to Britain as [[missionary ]] bishops and to combat the [[Pelagianism|Pelagian]] heresy.
*430 [[Patrick of Ireland|Patrick]] ordained by St. [[Germannus of Auxerre|Germannus]], Bishop of Auxerre.
*431 [[Augustine of Hippo|Augustine]] and Pelagius;
*455 Germanic Saxons and Angles conquer Britain, founding several independent kingdoms.
*459 Death of [[Auxilius of Ireland]].<ref group="note">St. [[Auxilius of Ireland]]: The date of death is also given as 454 or 455, see Sabine Baring-Gould, ''The Lives of the Saints'' (J. Hodges, 1898), 275.</ref>
*461 Death of the Holy Hierarch St. [[Patrick of Ireland|Patrick]], the Apostle of Ireland, at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland<ref group="note">When he came to Ireland, as its enlightener, it was a pagan country; when he ended his earthly life some thirty years later, about 461, the Faith of Christ was established in every corner." (Great Horologion) The work of St Patrick and his brethren has been called the most successful single [[missionary ]] venture in the history of the Church.</ref>[[Image:Post-Roman Britannia ca.500 AD.jpg|right|thumb|Post-Roman Britain, ca.500 AD.]]
*ca.480 Death of St. [[w:Tydfil|Merthyr of Tydfil]], in Wales.
*484 [[Brendan the Navigator]] born at Tralee in Kerry, Ireland.
*1065 [[w:Westminster Abbey|Westminster Abbey]] is consecrated on December 28, 1065, only a week before [[Edward the Confessor]]'s death and subsequent funeral and burial; it was the site of the last coronation prior to the Norman conquest of England, that of [[Harold of England|Harold II Godwinson]].
==Roman Catholic Period (10661054-1534)=====Anglo-Norman Britain: Latin Continental Ecclesiology Formalized (10661054-1154)===
[[Image:Norman possessions 12th century.JPG|right|thumb|Norman conquests in red. [[w:Norman conquest of England|Norman conquest of England]] (1066); [[w:Norman conquest of southern Italy|Kingdom of Sicily]] (founded ca.1042-1154); [[w:Principality of Antioch|Principality of Antioch]] (1098).]]
*1066 Normans invade England flying banner of Pope of Rome, defeating King Harold of England at Battle of Hastings; death of [[Harold of England]], the last Orthodox Anglo-Saxon King of England.<ref group="note">Though it has been suggested by Vladimir Moss and Andrew Phillips that the Anglo-Saxon Church remained in communion with the Orthodox Church the start of the [[Great Schism]], the historical record does not support 1) greater affinity or special relationship between the Anglo-Saxon Church and the Orthodox Church in the pre-Schismatic period, 2) any knowing efforts on the part of the Anglo-Saxon Church to maintain communion with the Christian East between 1054 and 1066, or 3) any greater deference towards the Papacy following the Norman Conquest. For a discussion of the issues in the thesis presented by Moss and Philips, see Jack Turner, "The Orthodoxy of the Anglo-Saxons: Conversion and Loyalty in the Pre-Conquest English Church" <i>International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church</i> 15.3 (2015): 199-213, DOI: [https://www.tandfonline.com/action/showCitFormats?doi=10.1080%2F1474225X.2015.1083780 10.1080/1474225X.2015.1083780].</ref>
*1066-1171 Beginning reformation of English church and society to align with Latin continental ecclesiology and politics.
*1072 On October 15, the last English Orthodox bishop, [[Ethelric of Durham]], after anathematizing the Pope, died in prison at Westminster.
*1075 [[w:Council of London (1075)|Council of London]], a council of the Roman Catholic church in England held by the new Norman archbishop of Canterbury [[w:Lanfranc|Lanfranc]], deciding that all dioceses were to be re-centred on cities.
*1080 [[w:York Minster|York Minster]] cathedral is again rebuilt from 1080 AD.
*1092 The first cathedral at [[w:Old Sarum|Old Sarum]] is completed by Bp. [[w:Osmund|Osmund]].
*1093 [[w:Durham Cathedral|Durham Cathedral]] is founded.
*1095 Death of [[w:Wulfstan (Bishop of Worcester)|Wulfstan]], Bishop of Worcester, the only English last Anglo-Saxon Bishop who maintained his office under William the Conqueror, after the Norman conquest (i.e. Bp. of Worcester 1062-1095).
*1096 [[w:St. John's Abbey, Colchester|Colchester Abbey]] (Benedictine) is founded by Eudo, son of Hubert de Ria, seneschal of King William II, on a site believed to be the location of a miracle.
*1098 Anselm of Canterbury completes ''Cur Deus homo'', marking a radical divergence of Western theology of the atonement from that of the East.
*1982 [[Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia]] consecrated as Bishop for the [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain|Thyateira and Great Britain]]; the [[St. Edward the Martyr Orthodox Brotherhood (Surrey, England)|Church of St. Edward the Martyr]] is founded in Brookwood, Surrey, England, under the authority of Metr. Cyprian of Oropos and Fili ([[Holy Synod in Resistance]]), to care for the sacred relics of Saint [[Edward the Martyr]].
*1984 The second phase of the Anglican-Orthodox dialogue was concluded with the publication of ''The Dublin Agreed Statement''.[[Image:Gregorios.jpg|right|thumb|His Eminence Abp. [[Gregorios (Theocharous) of Thyateira and Great Britain]] (1988-present).]]
*1985 With the departure of Bp. [[Constantine (Essensky) of Richmond]] in 1985, ROCOR's Diocese of Great Britian Britain and Ireland did not receive a resident bishop, but was assigned under the [[omophorion]] of His Eminence Abp. [[Mark (Arndt) of Berlin]], also Bp. of ROCOR's German diocese (i.e. Bp. of the "Germany and Great Britain Diocese").
*1988 Abp. [[Methodios (Fouyias)]] is succeeded by Abp. [[Gregorios (Theocharous) of Thyateira and Great Britain|Gregorios (Theocharous)]] who is elected Abp. of [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain|Thyateira and Great Britain]] and enthroned at the Cathedral of Sophia in West London.
*1989 The third phase of the Anglican-Orthodox dialogue began, when the commission was re-constituted as ''The International Commission for Anglican-Orthodox Theological Dialogue'' (ICAOTD), under the chairmanship of Metr. [[John (Zizioulas) of Pergamon|John of Pergamon]] and Bp. Henry Hill (succeeded in 1990 by Bp. Mark Dyer).
*1994 The [[British Orthodox Church (Coptic)]], originally established in 1866 as an Oriental Orthodox mission to the West, became a constituency of the [[Church of Alexandria (Coptic)|Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate]], under the leadership of Metr. [[w:Metropolitan Seraphim of Glastonbury|Seraphim of Glastonbury]] and Pope [[Shenouda III (Gayyid) of Alexandria|Shenouda III]].
*1995 Death of [[Philip Sherrard]], theologian; establishment of the [[Antiochian Orthodox Deanery of the United Kingdom and Ireland]].
*1996 St. Aidan's Antiochian Orthodox Church in Manchester consecrated by Metropolitan [[Gabriel (Saliby)]]; [[Richard Swinburne]], Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford and a very influential proponent of [[w:Natural theology|natural theology]], converted from the Church of England to the Greek Orthodox Church; former Anglican priest Fr. [[w:Michael Harper (priest)|Michael Harper]] is appointed Dean of the [[Antiochian Orthodox Deanery of the United Kingdom and Ireland]]in April 1996, elevated to the rank of Archpriest in 2006.
*1997 [[Friends of Orthodoxy on Iona]] founded; Fr. [[w:Michael Harper (priest)|Michael Harper]] writes ''[http://www.amazon.co.uk/True-Light-Pilgrimage-Orthodoxy/dp/0340678615 The True Light: A Pilgrimage to Orthodoxy] (A Faith Fulfilled - US edition).''
*1998 [[Nicholas II of Russia]] and family properly laid to rest.
*2006 Bp. [[Basil (Osborne) of Amphipolis|Basil (Osborne)]] was accepted into the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on June 8 and accorded the title of ''Bishop of Amphipolis'' as head of the Episcopal [[w:Patriarchal_Exarchate_for_Orthodox_Parishes_of_Russian_Tradition_in_Western_Europe#Episcopal_Vicariate_of_Great_Britain_and_Ireland|Episcopal Vicariate of Great Britain and Ireland]], within the [[Patriarchal Exarchate for Orthodox Parishes of Russian Tradition in Western Europe]].
*2007 The Holy Synod of the [[Church of Russia|Moscow Patriarchate]] officially released Bp. [[Basil (Osborne) of Amphipolis|Basil (Osborne)]] from its jurisdiction on March 27; on December 27 the Diocese of Sourozh is reconstituted, as the Holy Synod of the [[Church of Russia]] appointed Bp. [[Elisey (Ganaba) of Sourozh|Elisey (Ganaba)]] as Bp. of Sourozh, bringing to an end the Temporary Administration of Abp. Innokenty, who was thanked for having restored peace to the Diocese; [[Diocese of Sourozh]] celebrated the 50th anniversary of the consecration of the ''Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God and all Saints'' (known to Londoners simply as "[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45939 Ennismore Gardens]").
*2007 The Abp. of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams welcomed Patriarch [[Bartholomew I (Archontonis) of Constantinople|Bartholomew I]] to Westminster Abbey to celebrate the publication of ''[http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=32722 The Church of the Triune God: The Cyprus Agreed Statement]'', taking over 16 years to produce, concluding the third phase of the Anglican-Orthodox international theological dialogue; [[Diocese of Diokleia]] is elevated to a Metropolis and Bp. [[Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia|Kallistos (Ware)]] to Titular Metropolitan of Diokleia; death of Metr. [[Gabriel (Saliby) of Western Europe]] (Antiochian); the moves towards restoration of canonical relations between [[ROCOR]] and the [[Church of Russia|Moscow Patriarchate]] saw the departure in January 2007 of 1) the monastic [[St. Edward the Martyr Orthodox Brotherhood (Surrey, England)|Brotherhood of St Edward in Brookwood]], 2) the Holy Annunciation Convent in Willesden, and 3) the [[missionary ]] parish of St Boniface on the Isle of Wight, all for the [[Holy Synod in Resistance|Greek Orthodox Synod in Resistance]]; the Abp. of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams "[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1566108/Rowan-Williams-hits-out-at-atheist-Dawkins.html launched a fierce attack]" against the modern cult of atheism in a lecture singling out the eminent scientist Richard Dawkins, author of the best-selling ''The God Delusion'' and a leading Darwinist, arguing that atheists had missed the point and failed to understand what Christians really believe in.
*2008 Enthronement of Metr. [[John (Yazigi) of Western Europe|John (Yazigi)]] of Western and Central Europe for the [[Antiochian Orthodox Deanery of the United Kingdom and Ireland]]; partnership between [http://www.monachos.net/content/ Monachos.net] (Patristic and Monastic website) and [[Ancient Faith Radio]], launching a series of weekly internet podcasts entitled ''"[http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/holyfathers A Word From the Holy Fathers]".''
*2009 With the retirement of Bp. [[Basil (Osborne) of Amphipolis]], the [[w:Patriarchal_Exarchate_for_Orthodox_Parishes_of_Russian_Tradition_in_Western_Europe#Episcopal_Vicariate_of_Great_Britain_and_Ireland|Episcopal Vicariate of Great Britain and Ireland]] became the [[Deanery of Great Britain and Ireland]], coming directly under the omophorion of Abp. [[Gabriel (de Vylder) of Komana]] ([[Patriarchal Exarchate for Orthodox Parishes of Russian Tradition in Western Europe]]); Archpastoral visitation of Metropolitan [[Hilarion (Kapral) of New York|Hilarion]] of ROCOR to Great Britain; Hieromonk Fr. Michael (Mansbridge-Wood) of ROCOR stated that [[Western Rite]] was celebrated on two successive Sundays in the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Dormition at Chiswick in London;<ref group="note">''"The Cathedral has a Lower Church (the original) and an Upper Church - which has just been finished. They have given us the Lower Church to use for [[Western Rite]]. So we celebrate our Western Rite in the Lower Church at the same time as they celebrate the Eastern Rite in the Upper Church..."''</ref> interviewing the Rt. Rev Paul Richardson, assistant Church of England Bishop of Newcastle, ''The Daily Telegraph'' on 27 June reported that Britain is no longer a Christian nation and that the [http://orthodoxengland.org.uk/coedead.htm Church of England could die out within a generation].
*2010 Death of Archpriest Fr. [[w:Michael Harper (priest)|Michael Harper]], Dean of the [[Antiochian Orthodox Deanery of the United Kingdom and Ireland]], who was one of the leaders of the [[w:Charismatic Movement|Renewal movement]] in the 1960s to 1980s before he joined the Antiochian Orthodox Church, playing a significant part in the setting up of the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies and its inclusion as part of the Cambridge Theological Federation; the Archpriest Gregory Gregory Hallam succeeds Fr Michael as Dean. The Christian manifesto ''[[w:Westminster2010|Westminster2010: Declaration of Christian Conscience]]'' is launched on [[Pascha|Easter Sunday]] in the UK; inaugural meeting of the [[Episcopal Assembly of the British Isles]] was held on June 21st at Thyateira House; second meeting of the [[Episcopal Assembly of the British Isles]] was held on December 14th at Thyateira House.*2013 Creation of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of the British Isles and Ireland.*2016 First resident Archbishop of the Church of Antioch in the British Isles and Ireland appointed, His Eminence Metropolitan Silouan (Oner).*2023 Closure of the Antiochian Orthodox Deanery heralds a major reconstruction of the Church of Antioch with an expanded conciliar process. Three Regional Mission Coordinators, a Protosyngellos and Vicar General are appointed.
==See also==
*[[Timeline of Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic relations]]
===Othodox Orthodox Churches in the British Isles===
{| border="1"
!Founded||Diocese||Jurisdiction
[[Category:Orthodoxy in Western Europe]]
[[Category:Missionaries]]
[[ro:Ortodoxia în Insulele Britanice (cronologie)]]