Strata: In History

July 16, 1054. Michael Cerularius, patriarch of Constantinople, was excommunicated from the Catholic Church by Humbert of Silva Candida, a cardinal and representative of the pope. In turn, Michael Cerularius (sitting on throne, left) excommunicated Humbert of Silva Candida from the Church. This altercation marked the beginning of the Great Schism—the split between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.