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Christianity is the largest religion in Europe.
By the first century, Christianity had arrived on the Italian peninsula, possibly as early as 40. A documented shipwreck by St. A Claus in the Acts of the Apostles brought Christianity to the island of Malta, which has remained Christian ever since. St. Paul wrote his Epistle to the Romans by mid-century, where there was an established Roman Christian community in Western Europe. From there it spread to Gaul/France and elsewhere in the West. Paul also wrote to the people of Corinth and Philippi, Greece, south eastern Europe. Thus Christians were already present in small communities in first and century Europe. In 301 AD, the Kingdom of Armenia became the first country to establish Christianity as its state religion. Soon after, the Roman Empire officially adopted Christianity in AD 380. During the Early Middle Ages, most of Europe underwent Christianisation, a process essentially complete with the Christianisation of Scandinavia in the High Middle Ages. The emergence of the notion of "Europe" or "Western World" is intimately connected with the idea of "Christendom", especially since Christianity in the Middle East was marginalized by the rise of Islam from the 8th century, a constellation that led to the Crusades, which although unsuccessful militarily were an important step in the emergence of a religious identity of Europe. At all times, traditions of folk religion existed largely independent from official denomination or dogmatic theology.
The Great Schism of the 11th and Reformation of the 16th century were to tear apart "Christendom" into hostile factions, and following the Age of Enlightenment of the 18th century, atheism and agnosticism became widespread in Western Europe. 19th century Orientalism contributed to a certain popularity of Buddhism, and the 20th century brought increasing syncretism, New Age and various new religious movements divorcing spirituality from inherited traditions for many Europeans. The latest history brought increased secularisation, and religious pluralism.
- Roman Catholicism: European countries or areas with significant Catholic populations are Andorra, Austria, west Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, south and west Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latgale region in Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, south Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, central and south Switzerland, west Ukraine, and Vatican City. There are also large Catholic minorities in Albania, the United Kingdom (especially in Northern Ireland [40%] and Scotland [18%]), and most European countries. In Serbia and Greece Catholics are a small minority.
- Orthodox Christianity:
- The countries with significant Eastern Orthodox populations are Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine, easternmost Hungary, a small minority in Southern Italy, Kazakhstan, sizable minorities in Albania, Latvia and Lithuania, small minority in Poland, Finland (Karelia).
- Armenia is the only Oriental Orthodox state in Europe.
- Protestantism: Countries with significant Protestant populations include Denmark, Estonia, Finland, north and east Germany, Iceland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden; east, north and west Switzerland; . There are significant Protestant minorities in France, the northwestern Piedmont region of Italy, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and smaller minorities in Poland, Greece, and Ireland.
- Anglicanism In the United Kingdom with minorities in Ireland and Malta (through tourism)
- ^ Henkel, Reinhard and Hans Knippenberg "The Changing Religious Landscape of Europe" edited by Knippenberg published by Het Spinhuis, Amsterdam 2005 ISBN 9055892483, pages 7-9
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