Christendom facts for kids

This old map from 1472 shows the world as a cross inside a circle. It was made to fit Christian ideas, and some maps even put Jerusalem at the very center.

Christendom is a term that means the "Christian world." It refers to places where most people are Christians. Because of this, these countries are considered part of Christendom.

For a long time, especially during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance (a period of new ideas and art), people thought of the Christian world as one big family, or "Body of Christ." They believed Christ was the leader of this whole Christian world.

However, things started to change in the early 16th century. This was when a time called Modernity began, and the Protestant Reformation happened. The Reformation was a big movement that led to new types of Christianity. After this, the idea of Christendom changed. People started to think more about a society where many different groups could live together peacefully.

Where Christians Live Around the World

Christianity is the main religion in many parts of the world. This includes most of Europe, Russia, the Americas (North and South America), Oceania (like Australia and New Zealand), the Philippines, and parts of Eastern Indonesia. It is also very common in Southern Africa, Central Africa, and East Africa.

There are also many large Christian communities in other places, even if Christianity is not the main religion there. For example, in China, India, and Central Asia, Christianity is the second-largest religion, after Islam.

The United States has the largest number of Christians in the world. After the U.S., Brazil and Mexico have the next largest Christian populations.

How Many Christians Are There?

Experts believe there are about 2.2 billion to 2.4 billion Christians around the world. This means that about one-third of all people on Earth are Christian. It is the largest religion in the world.

There are three main groups of Christians:

• The Catholic Church
• Protestantism (which includes many different churches)
• The Eastern Orthodox Church

The Catholic Church is the largest Christian group. It has about 1.2 billion followers.

Images for kids

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  An icon showing Emperor Constantine and the bishops from the First Council of Nicaea (in 325 AD). They are holding the Niceno–Constantinopolitan Creed.

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  This map shows how Christianity spread by the year 600 AD. The dark blue areas show where Early Christianity had spread by 325 AD.

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  St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, Austria.

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  A picture of Christ in Majesty from an old, decorated book called an illuminated manuscript.

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  This is an old ceramic icon of St. Theodor from around 900 AD, found in Preslav, Bulgaria.

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  This image shows how a typical Gothic cathedral is built.

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  In the Middle Ages, many scholars believed that Science, especially geometry and astronomy, was directly connected to God. They thought God created the universe with perfect shapes and patterns. So, studying these patterns was a way to understand and worship God.

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  This map from 2006 shows where Christianity and Islam are most common, and areas where neither is the main religion.

See also

In Spanish: Cristiandad para niños