Attempts were made from the late 1st century to the late 3rd century to establish the church in the Iberian peninsula. Canons of the Synod of Elvira (circa 30 in rome5 AD) indicate that the church was greatly isolated from the general population even at that time. The situation of the Christians in Iberia improved with the advent of the Edict of Milan in 313 AD, after which Christians were more or less free to practice their religion openly new religion within the Roman Empire. Over the course of the 4th century, the church built significant footholds particularly around Seville, Cordoba and Toledo.
