Churches in the Middle Ages

Intro

The church was a very important part of the feudal system
An advantage of the church is that they only gave out lenient penalties
Christian churches were found everywhere in Europe
Most people went to church and most western Europeans were Christians
Most people believed that every person fought between good and evil in their lives and would be tried after death
Medieval churches also saw evidence of God Śs hand in everyday lives bringing success or failure
In the Middle Ages, the Catholic church was the only Christian religious institution in Europe
The Christians practised religion but only through the church that's why the church became so powerful
The worst thing that the church could do to you is to excommunicate you
Christianity played an immense role in the lives of the people
Barbarians tribes who overturned the Roman world in the 5th century had become Christians

Chartres Cathedral

Where, Who and Why

Barbarian tribes who overturned the Roman world in the 5th century became Christians
Rome was the capital of the empire, and became the seat of the Pope
Some of these people who converted to Christianity include the Bulgars (864) and Prince Vladimir of Russia
Christianity only existed on the surface
Pagan practices, witch craft, and magical rites were still being practised
In 1038 Poland people rebelled in favour of Paganism and spread paganism throughout Europe

On the right a Gothic Cathedral is seen,and on the left a Romanesque style Cathedral is shown.

Pope, Priests, Nuns and Monks

The Pope was the head of the church, he was very rich and powerful , almost like royalty
He had authority over the King and the Queen in religious matters
Some Popes became saints
No woman could become a priest ,only certain men
The priest ran one church and one church only, he also blessed people and trained other men to become priests
The priest kept most of the churches income and he himself could not marry
Serfs could never become priests
Many young people became a nun or a monk because they had no education
Before a person could become a monk he had to shave his head totally bald (this is called tonsure), (they still do this today)
Just like the priests, nuns and monks were not allowed to marry either
The nuns and monks prayed every day and even got up during the night to pray
They were not allowed to speak outloud unless having said a prayer before talking

Refrence List

Ormrod,Mark. Life in the Middle Ages.England:Wayland Publishers.1991 Macdonald,Fiona.The Middle Ages. Great Britain:Simon and Schuster.1991 Howarth, Sarah. Medieval People. USA: The Millbrook Press. 1991

By Doug and Autumn