The first Christian Empire in the world was that of the Byzantine Empire founded by Constantine in 330 A.D. The Byzantine Empire started with the division of the Roman empire into East and West factions, with the eastern provinces becoming the Byzantine Empire. When the Roman Emperor Constantine was converted to Christianity, he moved the governing center from Rome to the city of Byzantium, made Christianity the state religion, and created a state that had a profound effect on the social life and outlook of the people. The first moves toward splitting up the Roman Empire had been made by Constantine's uncle, the Emperor Diocletian, who thought that the problems with the empire were related to having too much territory to the east and north out of direct control. The separation did not take place immediately but over a generation or so and would last for more than 1100 years.
The subject matter became more Christian in conception while following roman artistic forms. The Byzantine Empire was in the east, and the art that developed differed from that in Europe. In Europe, the culture developed into a Medieval model, while in the East this never occurred and the Greek influence remained strong, tied to tradition. Byzantine art developed first from models not from rome but from small communities in North Africa and the Near East. Murals and illustrations of the Old Testament are found in Hellenized Jewish colonies in Alexandria, echoing the murals of Pompeii. The fact that Constantine made Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire had a major effect and brought what had been a hidden religious service into the open. Architecture was affected as many churches were built, with the development of a new type called the Early Christian basilica, "a synthesis of assembly hall, temple, and private house" (Janson 159). The pagan basilica was a model for the Christian one. The outside was unadorned, while the inside was ma...