Bible Christians who have some interest in church history have heard of the Catholic church’s infamous Council of Trent (1545-63). The Protestant Reformation began in 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses to the door of the All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, Saxony and the recovered Gospel of grace quickly spread throughout Europe. In an effort to counteract the advance and influence of the Reformation, pope Paul III convoked the Council of Trent in 1545. The twenty-five council sessions took place over eighteen years, overlapping into the tenures of two other popes, Julius III and Pius IV. The main “accomplishments” of the council were clarification of Roman Catholic teaching and condemnation of the Protestant “heresies.” The Gospel of salvation by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone that was recovered by the Reformers and all those who believed in it were repeatedly anathematized (condemned) by the council’s declarations. Trent was the beginning of the Catholic “Counter-Reformation.”
I’ve often referred to the Council of Trent, but I honestly didn’t even know where Trent was. That’s embarrassing for an amateur history buff to admit. So I did a little googling and dug up a few facts that others may find interesting also.
Trent is actually Trento in Northern Italy (see above map) and is situated near the Italian Alps. It was inhabited by Celts and named after the Celtic god of the waters because of the nearby Adije river. The Romans conquered the city in the late-1st-century BC and renamed it Tridentum in tribute to the trident of the Romans’ mythical god, Neptune. Doctrines and practices promulgated by the council were afterward labeled as “Tridentine” in deference to the Roman name of the city.
Below are photos of the two churches in Trento where the council sessions were held. Three of the council sessions took place in the city of Bologna, but the other twenty-two sessions were held in Trento at these two churches.
In the future, when I refer to the Council of Trent, I’ll now know where the dastardly council took place. Despite its tremendous temporal power, the Roman Catholic church could not stop the Holy Spirit and the spread of the Gospel of grace. It’s quite interesting to note that, the current ecumenical climate notwithstanding, the Council of Trent’s anathemas against the Gospel of grace and believers have never been rescinded.


See here for interior photos of the two Trento churches, above, that hosted the Council of Trent.
For more information on how Catholicism condemned the Gospel of grace at the Council of Trent, see the article below:
Council of Trent: Canons on Justification
https://carm.org/catholic/council-trent-canons-justification
Thank you, brother! More than interesting!
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Thanks, sister! Yes, I’ve been reading and writing about the Council of Trent for many years, so it was interesting to finally be able to put a “face” to a name. That’s not to make light of or minimize the tremendous evil that followed as a result of what happened within those walls.
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Excellent. I am learning a lot of history and rebuttal of 95?. Love in our Christ Jesus.
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Thank you, Bonnie! Praise God for upending man-made doctrines!
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Wow! It’s amazing that, after all these years, and two world wars, these buildings are still standing. Like two testimonies to the anathema that still stands in place, regardless of the ecumenical push. Thank you for this lost, brother! I love church history, it really seems to come alive when there’s pictures.
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Thanks, sister! Yes, I’ve read perhaps a thousand references to the Council of Trent over the years without having any clue as to the location particulars so I appreciated finding the photos and information. I have little doubt that Satan himself was orchestrating that council.
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👍🏻
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Thanks, Beth!
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And thank you for following God’s Holy Spirit and putting all the information out that you do Prayerfully more and more will “come out of her”!
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Thanks, Beth, and thank you for faithfully posting the Word and the Good News!
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When we have been touched by the Lord we just can’t stay silent about His love for us- can we?! The love He showed us while we were yet sinners!!! That is the most loving thing anyone can do for us!! He is the only one that could do that for us!!!
I love blogging because I never tire of talking about the Lord and reading what He has done for others-in this world people tire of hearing the excitement and joy He brings me and I feel stifled at times- even by those claiming they believe 😔 💔
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Yes, how can we not sing out with joy and praise to our Savior and how can we not warn those behind still in chains?
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Amen! It’s our loving duty ! The loving duty that only THE ONE – Jesus- could put on our hearts!!!
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Amen!!
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Have another blessed day!!!
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Thanks, Beth, and you have a blessed day too!
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Thank you! 👍🏻
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Thank you for this historical post. Sad to see the actual location where Rome denied the Gospel…sad. But post was interesting
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Thank you. Yes, when we contemplate the great promulgation of error and suffering caused by that council it’s sadly sobering.
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Sadly ecumenical Protestant seem to be suddenly unable to consider the Council of Trent…or downplay it
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Yes, ecumenical evangelicals take the attitude of, “Oh, Trent was 460 years ago. The Roman church embraced the Gospel at the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s.” So terribly misinformed.
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Yeah so terribly misinformed
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