Latin Patriarchate of Antioch

As part of his grand strategy, the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos sought to utilize the military elan and prowess of the Frankish and European princes of the First Crusade in recovering for him the Eastern Roman Empire, including Antioch and its See.

From that time Antioch had its Latin patriarchs until the last incumbent Christian was put to death by the Sultan Baibars during the conquest of the city in 1268.

This represented one of the sole instances of coordinated action by Byzantine and the Franks throughout the crusader period, and led to a number of joint political, diplomatic, military, and marriage alliances.

The Latin Patriarch of Antioch was established to serve the Catholic members of the diocese and represent all Christians living in its territory and was one of the major ecclesiastical authorities in the Crusader states.

Throughout the Crusader period both Greeks and Latins served under its hierarchy which included numerous suffragan bishops, abbots, cathedrals, monasteries, and churches under its ecclesiastical rule.

[4] In 1342, the Greek Patriarchate transferred his seat to Damascus which grew in prominence as the city of Antioch's Christian and overall population declined.

It continued to play a role in helping to protect various isolated Christian communities in the Near East and eventually secured their unity with Rome.