Council of Constantinople

Although the Council of Nicaea condemned the Arians and declared their teachings heretical, the conflict between Trinitarians and Arians continued for almost 100 years. Although he never officially rejected the decisions of the Council of Nicaea, Emperor Constantine pardoned Arius, who was exiled near Illyricum (Croatia), and Arius took refuge in Palestine. Many followers of Arius thus returned home. The Emperor, tired of the theological debates, believed that the two sides were picking on each other just for the sake of arguing. In 335, Athanasius of Alexandria, this time one of the Trinitarian heroes of the Council of Nicaea, was exiled with the Emperor's approval. In 336, a synod convened in Jerusalem readmitted Arius to communion, that is, to the Church. The Emperor's wish was to achieve unity in all respects in his territories. In this context, the Emperor ordered Alexandros, the Patriarch of Constantinople, to receive Arius, despite all his objections, in the church of Hagia Irene in the sacrament of holy communion, also known as "eucharist" or the Lord's supper. The Hagia Irene building in Constantinople played a particularly prominent role during this period. Alexandros, true to his faith, refused Constantine's request. As soon as the Arians learned of Alexandros' response, they began preparations for an assassination attempt. Alexandros became aware of these assassination plans and locked himself in Hagia Irene before Sunday arrived. Alexandros spent days in tears, kneeling in front of the church altar. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)