For early Christianity, Jerusalem was more of a symbol, and Christianity as a faith was more spiritual and faith driven. There was no need for the temple. The Holy City was still the place where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected and therefore extremely important. Constantine the Great ruled from 312 to 337 CE and in 313 he issued the Edict of Milan. This edict legalized the religion of Christianity. Constantine used this faith to unite his empire. He commissioned the Council of Nicaea in 324 CE; which set the guidelines for Christianity. He also moved the capitol to Constantinople.
His mother, Helena, went to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage and dedicated the Church of the Nativity and rededicated the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. She supposedly finds the “true cross,” the one that Jesus was crucified on and establishes the Church of the Holy Sepulcher as the new axis mundi in Jerusalem. On the Madaba Map the center of the map is no longer the temple mount but is instead the Church. This map is very detailed and shows all the gates surrounding the city of Jerusalem. Justinian builds the “Nea” Church, or new church, which is to replace the Jewish temple and in its architecture it resembles Solomon’s Temple.
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