Religious Studies
Elizabeth DePalma Digeser
Crisis as Opportunity: Urban Renewal and Christianisation in Constantine's Gaul
Volume 5 (2019) / Issue 1,
pp. 103-124 (22)
Published 16.04.2019
Using the relationship between Constantine and Autun (Augustodunum) as a case study, this paper identifies a continuum of patronage which directly impacted the economic conditions of the town both before and after 310 CE. Constantine used the support of the bishops of Autun both as a way of fostering the spread of Gallic Christianity and as a means for consolidating his hold on the region. The restoration of economic prosperity is thus meaningful at both a political and religious level, and the study illustrates one process that aided the Christianisation of western Europe.