IVᵉ siècle – Vᵉ siècle
Roman North Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The Catholic Church in late Roman North Africa developed from a position of weakness against Donatism into the dominant Christian institution of the region. Its ascendancy expanded through Augustine’s leadership, imperial legislation, church councils, and the defeat of Donatist claims after 411. The late fourth and early fifth centuries also brought major material growth, including Christian quarters, basilicas, baptisteries, and episcopal buildings at centres such as Djemila, Hippo, and Tipasa. Its success ended amid the Vandal conquest.
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Le récit
Catholic Christianity initially struggled against Donatist strength in North Africa. During Julian’s policy of toleration, the Donatists returned in force and Catholics were swept from many towns. Yet Catholic communities survived and established themselves as an alternative Church. Some centres, including Thagaste, transferred to Catholic allegiance and did not return to the Donatists.
The Catholic revival accelerated after the arrival of Augustine and the death of Parmenian. Augustine, Aurelius of Carthage, and Alypius of Thagaste coordinated theological and institutional opposition to Donatism. Imperial laws issued from 405 onward, followed by the Conference of Carthage in 411 and the proscription of Donatism in 412, gave the Catholic Church decisive legal support.
Catholic dominance was also associated with a particular social geography. Catholics predominated among the possessing classes, the new aristocracy dependent on imperial patronage, and the more Romanized regions of Proconsular Africa and Byzacena. Donatists remained stronger among rural populations and in Numidia and Mauretania, making the Catholic victory both a confessional and a provincial social realignment.
The Catholic victory was followed by fifteen years of prosperity. At Cuicul, or Djemila, a Christian quarter with a baptistery, churches, and an episcopal palace was built, perhaps under Bishop Cresconius after the reunification of Catholic and ex-Donatist communities. Hippo possessed seven churches and a Christian quarter organized around a large church and cemetery.
Tipasa displayed another expression of Catholic monumental culture. Its vast seven-aisled basilica, paved throughout with mosaic floors, belonged approximately to the same period. Across North Africa, especially in the towns, the late fourth and early fifth centuries represented the high-water mark of Christian architectural and artistic achievement.
This prosperity remained dependent on a narrow social and political base. Catholic leaders failed to resolve the tensions that had sustained Donatism among rural populations, while the weakening of Roman power exposed the towns to raids. The Vandal arrival in 429 and the fall of Carthage in 439 brought the Catholic revival to an abrupt crisis.
IVᵉ siècle – Vᵉ siècle
Roman North Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The Catholic Church in late Roman North Africa developed from a position of weakness against Donatism into the dominant Christian institution of the region. Its ascendancy expanded through Augustine’s leadership, imperial legislation, church councils, and the defeat of Donatist claims after 411. The late fourth and early fifth centuries also brought major material growth, including Christian quarters, basilicas, baptisteries, and episcopal buildings at centres such as Djemila, Hippo, and Tipasa. Its success ended amid the Vandal conquest.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
Catholic Christianity initially struggled against Donatist strength in North Africa. During Julian’s policy of toleration, the Donatists returned in force and Catholics were swept from many towns. Yet Catholic communities survived and established themselves as an alternative Church. Some centres, including Thagaste, transferred to Catholic allegiance and did not return to the Donatists.
The Catholic revival accelerated after the arrival of Augustine and the death of Parmenian. Augustine, Aurelius of Carthage, and Alypius of Thagaste coordinated theological and institutional opposition to Donatism. Imperial laws issued from 405 onward, followed by the Conference of Carthage in 411 and the proscription of Donatism in 412, gave the Catholic Church decisive legal support.
Catholic dominance was also associated with a particular social geography. Catholics predominated among the possessing classes, the new aristocracy dependent on imperial patronage, and the more Romanized regions of Proconsular Africa and Byzacena. Donatists remained stronger among rural populations and in Numidia and Mauretania, making the Catholic victory both a confessional and a provincial social realignment.
The Catholic victory was followed by fifteen years of prosperity. At Cuicul, or Djemila, a Christian quarter with a baptistery, churches, and an episcopal palace was built, perhaps under Bishop Cresconius after the reunification of Catholic and ex-Donatist communities. Hippo possessed seven churches and a Christian quarter organized around a large church and cemetery.
Tipasa displayed another expression of Catholic monumental culture. Its vast seven-aisled basilica, paved throughout with mosaic floors, belonged approximately to the same period. Across North Africa, especially in the towns, the late fourth and early fifth centuries represented the high-water mark of Christian architectural and artistic achievement.
This prosperity remained dependent on a narrow social and political base. Catholic leaders failed to resolve the tensions that had sustained Donatism among rural populations, while the weakening of Roman power exposed the towns to raids. The Vandal arrival in 429 and the fall of Carthage in 439 brought the Catholic revival to an abrupt crisis.
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