History
In the Apostolic Age the Christian Church was organized as an indefinite number of local Churches that in the initial years looked to that at Jerusalem as its main centre and point of reference, see also Jerusalem in Christianity. James the Just, who was martyred around 62, is described as the first Bishop of Jerusalem. Roman persecutions following the Jewish revolts against Rome in the later 1st and 2nd centuries also impacted the city's Christian community, and led to Jerusalem gradually being eclipsed in prominence by other sees, particularly those of Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome. However, increased pilgrimage during and after the reign of Constantine the Great increased the fortunes of the see of Jerusalem, and in 325 the First Council of Nicaea attributed special honor, but not Metropolitan status (then the highest rank in the Church), to the bishop of Jerusalem. Jerusalem continued to be a bishopric until 451, when it was raised to the status of patriarchate by the Council of Chalcedon. After that it was considered one of the Pentarchy – the five most prominent sees in Christendom.
After the Arab conquest in the 7th century, Muslims recognized Jerusalem as the seat of Christianity and the Patriarch as its leader. When the Great Schism took place in 1054 the Patriarch of Jerusalem and the other three Eastern Patriarchs formed the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Patriarch of Rome (i.e. the Pope) formed the Roman Catholic Church. The Patriarch lived in Constantinople until 1187.
In 1099 the Crusaders appointed a Latin Patriarch.
Read more about this topic: Greek Orthodox Patriarch Of Jerusalem
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