The Edict of Milan, described below, was issued by Licinius and Constantine in 313. It gave Christianity formal legal recognition for the first time.
When [Licinius] and Constantine were consuls for the third time, he [Licinius] commanded the following edict for the restoration of the church, directed to the president of each province, for him to promulgate:
When we, Constantine and Licinius, emperors, had a conference at Milan, and conferred together with respect to the well-being and security of the commonwealth, it seemed to us that . . . it was proper that the Christians, and all others, should have liberty to follow that manner of religion which to each one appeared best. So that God, who is seated in heaven, might be benign and favorable to us and to everyone under our government. . . .
Moreover, with respect to the Christians, we formerly gave certain orders concerning the places set aside for their religious assemblies. However, now we resolve that all persons who have purchased such places, either from our treasurer, or from anyone else, must restore them to the Christians, without money demanded or price claimed. . . . All those places are, by your intervention, to be immediately restored to the Christians. And it appears that, in addition to the places set aside for religious worship, the Christians possessed other places (which belonged to the society in general, not to individuals). These we include in the aforesaid regulations. Lactantius (c. 320)