Vatican City, residence of the popes

Rome lost a great deal of its political significance after removal of the capital of the empire to Constantinople in 330. Rome was overshadowed even in the West when Milan and Ravenna became the political centers of the western empire. During the period of barbarian invasions beginning in the fifth century, Romans often turned to the pope for protection and governance. Gregory the Great established the pattern that prevailed throughout the middle ages when he provided for the protection and governance of Rome and secured Rome as the seat for the papal governance of the papal states as well as for the papacy itself.