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The Church in the Middle Ages:
The Crusades
The rise of Islam in the era and the fight for
the possession of the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land led to
the series of wars in the Middle Ages called the Crusades.
The Catholic Church encouraged the Kings, the knights and ordinary
people to undertake the Crusades. They travelled thousands of miles to
fight for the Christian religion and the Roman Catholic Church in the
belief that this would earn them a remission of all their sins and a
guaranteed entry into heaven.
The Church in the Middle Ages:
Churches and Cathedrals
The Church in the Middle Ages
led to the building of great churches and cathedrals across Europe. The
magnificent Gothic architecture of the Middle Ages featured beautiful
stained glass windows, great pointed arches and vaults, flying
buttresses and hideous gargoyles, an ever-present reminder of the
horrors of hell. There were no seats in the cathedrals and church of the
Middle Ages. People were expected to stand throughout the service which
was conducted in Latin. Ordinary people were unable to understand the
words but were able to view the religious art that visually conveyed the
teachings of the church via the images portrayed in the stained glass
windows, and also the religious art conveyed in mosaics and frescoes.
The Church in the Middle Ages:
Excommunication
The Church in the Middle
Ages maintained their power over all the countries and kings in Europe
with the threat of excommunication. Excommunication from the church was in the power of the Pope - a great
hold on the warring Kings and leaders of the era. The Catholic Church in
the Middle Ages was therefore able to influence the kings and rulers of
Europe with the threat of excommunication. Opposition to the Catholic
Church and the pope would result in excommunication which they were
banned from attending any church services, denied the sacraments and
would go straight to hell when they died.
The Church in the Middle Ages:
The Popes, the Hierachy and the Inquisition
The
Popes in the Middle Ageshad authority over the kings which gave great power to the Roman
Catholic church in the Middle Ages. The hierachy of the church was, like
everything else in the Middle Ages, pyramid shaped. The Poe was the
supreme power followed by the Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops and Parish
priests. In 1233 a church court, or Inquisition, was set up by Pope
Gregory IX to end heresy. The Inquisition was greatly feared and the
threat of the Inquisition increased the power of the Churches in the
Middle Ages.
Religious Festivals
The Church in the
Middle Ages influenced the activities of Medieval people on a daily,
weekly and monthly basis. Certain foods were allowed on specific days of
the week. Prayers were made at specific times of the day. Everyone was
expected to attend church on a Sunday, the day of rest. There were
Religious Festivals in every month
of the year.
The Church in the Middle Ages:
Convents and Monasteries
A feature of
the Church in the Middle Ages was the large number of
Convent and
Monasteries. The nuns and monks worked for the
good of the churches and also for the good of the community. The Monks and
Nuns performed many works of charity by providing food for the hungry
and help and medicines for the sick. Work was conducted on church-owned lands
and the monks, and sometimes the nuns produced beautifully illuminated
manuscripts of classical authors and religious works.
Daily Life of a Monk in the Middle Ages
Daily
Life of a Nun in the Middle Age
The Role of the Church in the Middle Ages
The Role of the Church in the Middle Ages included the following:
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To provided help and
medicines to the sick
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To provide spiritual
guidance and teachings
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To provide food for the
hungry and shelter fro travellers
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To provide justice
through courts
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To provide education to
monks, nuns and some people in the congregation
The Church in the Middle Ages
Each section of this Middle Ages website addresses all topics and provides interesting facts and information about these great people and events in bygone Medieval times including Churches in the Middle Ages. The Sitemap provides full details of all of the information and facts provided about the fascinating subject of the Middle Ages!
The Church in the Middle Ages
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Interesting Facts and information about the role of Churches
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The role of the pope
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The power and influence of the Roman Catholic church
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Excommunication and the Inquisition
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Architecture and art in the churches
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The influence of the church on the Crusades
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