The Role of the Church in Medieval Europe

February 7, 2018 | Author: Anonymous | Category: History, World History, Middle Ages
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The Role of the Church in Medieval Europe Presentation #3

Roman Catholic Church Center of medieval life in western Europe  Sometimes known as Age of Faith  Most villages and towns had a Church  Larger towns had a cathedral  Church bells rang the hours, called people to worship, and warned them of danger 

Center of community Religious services were held several times a day  Town meetings, plays, and concerts held in churches  Merchants had shops around the square in front of church  Festivals, fairs held near the church 

Church provided education for some  Helped the poor and sick  So much a part of daily life that people determined the proper time for cooking an egg from by saying a certain number of prayers 

World events Thought that storms, disease, famine were punishment from God  Thought that religious devotion would keep way disasters 

Fate after death 

Taught that salvation came from following the Church’s teachings

The Beginning of Christianity Followers of Jesus  Son of God sent to earth to save people from their sins  Was put to death by the Romans, rose from the dead  In 395, Christianity became the religion of the Roman Empire 

Persecution of Christians Romans persecuted Christians for their beliefs  Despite this Christianity continued to spread  Persecution ended with Constantine issuing a decree allowing them to practice their religion 

Roman Catholic Church All Christians in Western Europe were part of the RCC  Church was one of the only stable parts of society 

Church provided Leadership  Distribution of food  Monasteries provided hospitality to refugees and travelers  Copied old texts to keep learning alive  Missionaries helped bring converts to Church 

Hierarchy of Church By high middle ages all members of the clergy had a rank  Pope – bishop of Rome and supreme head of Church  Cardinals – assisted and counseled Pope – appointed by Pope – just below the Pope 

Archbishops – oversaw a large or important area- archdiocese  Bishops – governed diocese  Within each diocese – local communities- parish – served by priest 

Power of Church  



Church acquired great economic power By 1050 Church was the largest land owner in Europe Some land came   

as gifts from monarchs and wealthy lords Force Tithe – 1/10th of money, produce or labor was to be given to the Church

Latin was the official language of the Church and only common language in Europe  Church officials were often the only people who could read - kept records for monarchs and were trusted advisors 

Pope Gregory and King Henry IV Gregory elected pope in 1073  New reforms 

Forbad priests from marrying  Outlawed the selling of Church offices  Banned the practice of Kings appointing priests, bishops and heads of monasteries 

Henry was angered by not being allowed to appoint church officials  Henry called the council of bishops and declared that Gregory was no longer pope  Gregory responded by excommunicating Henry 

Popes influence was so great that Henry begged for forgiveness – 3 days in snow – before he was forgiven and allowed back into the Church  Elevated the Pope’s authority as higher than emperor 

Church on Salvation  

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Soul lives on after death – salvation Salvation – follow the teachings of Church and living a moral life Failing to do so - condemned to hell Hell very vivid Seven sacraments was essential to salvation – grace and special blessings Most important occasions in life

Pilgrimages To Holy Land  Rome  Churches that housed relics- object belonging to a saint  Cathedral at Canterbury, England  Went to show devotion, acts of penance, or to be healed 

Travel was difficult and dangerous  Most traveled on foot  Many banned together for safety  Sometimes hired an armed escort  Roads and bridges were built on popular routes  Monks set up hostels- guest houses a day apart 

Canterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer 1342-1400  Book of verse about pilgrims  Tales pilgrims told to entertain other pilgrims while traveling to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury  Stories include a knight, miller, cook, and prioress – head of a convent 

Crusades Military expedition to try to regain the Holy Land from Muslim control  Occurred between 1095 and 1270  Several reasons for going 

Wealth  Adventure  Guarantee salvation  Deep religious conviction 

Art Purpose of most was religious  Done to help people learn stories about Christ since people could not read 

Architecture Cathedrals built to inspire awe  Tallest building in town  Often 30- stories tall  Many built in the shape of a cross  Long section called the nave  Shorter arms called the transepts 

   

Gothic style Cathedrals Built from 1150 to 1400 Rising to heaven Stone arches on outside called flying buttresses – built to spread the massive weight of the roof and walls evenly



Tall thin walls with more windows



Gargoyles – stone spouts projecting from the rain gutter of the roof – usually in the shape of beasts -



Inside is lined with pillars



Stained glass windows with bible stories depicted



Construction of Cathedrals Took from 50 to 100 years to complete – sometimes 200 years  Constructed by hand  Expression of devotion 

Education Most schooling took place in monasteries, convents, or cathedrals  Under Charlemagne rule – education was encouraged  Established new form of writing – using lower case letters 

Clergy were most likely to be educated  Students were sons of wealthy nobles studying for careers in the clergy  Spent much of their time with bible passages 

Universities Began in 1200s  Studied Latin, rhetoric – persuasive writing and speaking, geometry, arithmetic, astronomy, and music  Books were hand copied and rare 

Church was uneasy about ancient writers such as Aristotle who taught that reason and logic were the path to knowledge  Feared people would question the church’s teachings 

Thomas Aquinas Italian scholar of philosophy and theology  Tried to bridge the gap  Saw no conflict between faith and reason – helped people discover important truths about God’s creation 



Natural law – there is order built into nature that can guide people’s thinking about right and wrong

Holidays Most holidays were connected to the church  Holiday comes from holy day  Christmas and Easter were the greatest celebrations 



Christmas Lasted for 12 days  No trees but people of all classes decorated with evergreens, holly berries and mistletoe  Attended Mass  Had a great feast often hosted by lord 



Easter Day of church services  Feasting  Games often involving eggs – new life 



All holidays Music  Dancing  Food  Wine and ale  Baked goods  Fried foods 



Sometimes holidays included Bonfires  Acrobats  Jugglers  Dancing bears  Plays – mummers- traveling groups of actors- used masks, drums, dancers, make-believe sword fights 

Monks Joined monasteries – communities devoted to prayer and service – monasticism  Became monks for various reasons 

Seeking refuge from war, sickness or sinfulness  To study  Attracted to a life of prayer and service 

St. Benedict Founded the monastic way of life in the 6th century in Italy  Became Benedictines  Followed Benedict’s rule  Three vows 

Poverty  Chastity  Obedience 



Daily life Prayer, study, work  Attended 8 services a day  Cared for sick and poor  Teaching  Copying religious text 

Farmed land  Tended gardens  Raised livestock  Sewed clothing 

Monastery Laid out in a cloister – covered walkway surrounding an open square  North side Church  South side kitchen and dining hall  Another side dormitory – sm. Cells with wood beds  Fourth side scriptorium- copied books 

Convents Many women who did not wish to marry joined the convent – monastic way for women  Nuns did many of the same type of work as monks  Many became important reformers 



Hildegard of Germany Founded a convent  Wrote many letters of to popes and church officials criticizing practices of church 

Religious Order Brotherhood or sisterhood of monks, nuns, or friars – priests  Each order had its own distinctive rules and forms of service 

Mendicants - beggars Live a religious life without the seclusion of monastic life  SFA founded the Franciscans  Traveled among ordinary people to preach and care for the poor and sick  Had to work or beg for food  Believed in treating all living things with respect 

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