Florence
City on the Arno in Tuscany, to which Pope Eugene IV moved his council in 1439. The bull of union between the Latin and Greek churches was issued here on 6 July of that year.
Eugene IV transferred his council here from Ferrara in January 1439, giving the plague as the reason and the healthy air of the new site as a condition of an ecumenical council (Council of Florence, decree of 10 January 1439). The definition of union with the Greeks of 6 July 1439 names Florence as the seat of the council that approved it (Council of Florence, Florence, session 6 (Laetentur caeli)). See the Council of Florence Proclaims Reunion.
What happened here
- 1347 to 1351, estimated dateThe Black Death
Plague spreads through Europe, reaching Florence, Avignon and Paris in 1348. Priests and friars die with the rest or flee. Jews are accused of poisoning the wells and burned, though Pope Clement VI calls the charge false. In 1349 he bans the flagellants.
- 6 July 1439, firm dateThe Council of Florence Proclaims Reunion
Pope Eugene IV and the Byzantine emperor John VIII proclaim the reunion of the Latin and Greek churches at Florence on 6 July 1439, in a decree affirming the Filioque and papal primacy. Mark of Ephesus refuses to sign, and the union finds little acceptance in Constantinople.
Primary sources
Decrees of the Council of Ferrara and Florence
- Council of Florence, decree of 10 January 1439papalencyclicals.net
- Council of Florence, Florence, session 6 (Laetentur caeli)papalencyclicals.net