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The '''Pentarchy''' consisted of the five ancient [[patriarchate]]s of the undivided Church of the first millennium of her history, including the Churches of [[Church of Rome|Rome]], [[Church of Constantinople|Constantinople]], [[Church of Alexandria (Coptic)|Alexandria]], [[Church of Antioch|Antioch]], and [[Church of Jerusalem|Jerusalem]].
These major centers of early Christianity, founded by the [[apostles]], were looked to by their respective regions as leaders in Church life, and eventually their [[bishop]]s came to be regarded as the [[primate]]s of their areas. The members of the Pentarchy all participated in some form in the first eight [[Ecumenical Councils]], from 325 to 880. Their relationship with each other, despite various periods of rivalry and dispute, was generally in terms of fraternal equality and conciliarity.
