391 · Roman Empire (decrees issued from various capitals)

Theodosius Orders Destruction of Pagan Temples

In 391, Emperor Theodosius I issued a series of decrees banning pagan worship and authorizing the closure or destruction of temples across the Roman Empire, effectively ending the old Roman religion.

Constantine had made Christianity legal. Theodosius made paganism illegal. Starting in 391, the emperor issued a string of decrees that shut down pagan temples, banned sacrifices, and ended public funding for the old cults. In Alexandria, the great Serapeum — one of the most famous temples in the ancient world — was demolished by a Christian mob, likely with official backing. The eternal flame of Vesta in Rome, tended for over a thousand years, was extinguished. The Olympic Games, tied to worship of Zeus, were eventually suppressed. This was a dramatic reversal. Less than a century earlier, Christians had been the ones dodging persecution. Now they held the power, and they used it to dismantle the religious infrastructure that had defined Roman civilization for centuries. Not all Christians approved. Some bishops objected to forced conversion and destruction of property. But the overall direction was clear, and Theodosius pushed it forward with imperial authority. The episode raises hard questions that Catholics have grappled with ever since. When the faith gains political power, how should it use that power? Is coercion in religious matters ever justified? The Church's answer has evolved over the centuries, reaching its clearest modern expression in Vatican II's declaration on religious freedom, Dignitatis Humanae, which affirmed that faith must be free. But Theodosius's decrees remain part of the historical record — a reminder that the relationship between Church and state has never been simple.

Why it matters

Marked the end of institutional paganism in the Roman Empire and raised lasting questions about religious coercion that the Church would not fully address until Vatican II.