Papal Legate's Document at Hagia Sophia

The East-West Schism marked a pivotal division between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, rooted in theological, political, and cultural differences that had developed over centuries. One of the key events in this schism occurred when the papal legate Humbert of Silva Candida placed a document on the altar of Hagia Sophia, which proclaimed the excommunication of Michael I Cerularius, the patriarch of Constantinople. This act symbolized the culmination of escalating tensions between the two branches of Christianity, particularly regarding issues such as the authority of the Pope, the use of unleavened bread in the Eucharist, and various liturgical practices. The excommunication was not merely a religious act; it represented a significant political maneuver that underscored the growing estrangement between the Latin West and the Greek East, leading to a lasting schism that would shape the future of Christianity.