Patriarchate of Antioch

Antioch is where the followers of Christ were first called Christians (Acts 11:26). St. Peter led the church there before Rome, and St. Ignatius was its third bishop. After earthquakes and wars ruined the city, the patriarch moved to Damascus in the 14th century, where his seat is the Mariamite Cathedral, one of the oldest churches in the city. Today the Church of Antioch serves Arab Orthodox Christians in Syria, Lebanon and across the world, including North America.

• Date: 1st century