Apostolic See
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In the several centuries following the founding of Christianity, five particular cities and centers of Christianity were considered to be Apostolic Sees.
The Churches in each of these cities was considered Apostolic because it was founded (at least allegedly) by one of the Apostles.
- Rome, in present-day Italy, from the Apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul.
- Constantinople, now Istanbul in present-day Turkey, from the Apostle Saint Andrew. (See Patriarch of Constantinople.)
- Antioch, in present-day Syria, from the Apostle Saint Peter. (See Patriarch of Antioch, Antiochian Orthodox Church, Syrian Orthodox Church.)
- Alexandria, in present-day Egypt, from Saint Mark, who, however, is not called an apostle in the New Testament. (Three bishops now claim to hold this office as St. Mark's successor: one Eastern Orthodox patriarch, one Eastern Catholic patriarch, and the Coptic pope.)
- Jerusalem, in present-day Israel, or Palestine, from the twelve apostles themselves as the original Church. (See Patriarch of Jerusalem.)
Many other episcopal sees too could claim to be founded by Apostles. For instance, the Churches in Thessalonica and Corinth were founded by Saint Paul.
When used in the singular, "the Apostolic See" referred to the see whose bishop claimed to be the successor of Saint Peter, who in this context is singled out as "the apostle", as in the context of Scripture studies "the apostle" means Saint Paul.
[edit] Present day
In the present day, the See of Rome is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church and the See of Constantinople is the primary See of the (less centralized) Eastern Orthodox Church. Each of the other three Eastern Sees are seats of patriarchs from one or more of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, and Oriental Orthodox Church.
