Medieval Churches
Medieval Europe's churches were very amazing churches. They all were built with care. A lot of money was also put into the churches. People had to donate to the churches. At these churches they worshiped God.
The Spread of Christianity
The Early Middle Ages commenced with the deposition of the last Western Roman emperor in 476, to be followed by the barbarian king, Odoacer to the coronation of Charlemagne as "Emperor of the Romans" by Pope Leo III in Rome on Christmas Day, 800. The year 476, however, is a rather artificial division. In the East, Roman imperial rule continued through the period historians now call the Byzantine Empire. Even in the West, where imperial political control gradually declined, distinctly Roman culture continued long afterwards; thus historians today prefer to speak of a "transformation of the Roman world" rather than a "fall of the Roman Empire." The advent of the Early Middle Ages was a gradual and often localised process whereby, in the West, rural areas became power centres whilst urban areas declined. With the Muslim invasions of the seventh century, the Western (Latin) and Eastern (Greek) areas of Christianity began to take on distinctive shapes. Whereas in the East the Church maintained its structure and character and evolved more slowly, in the West the Bishops of Rome (i.e., the Popes) were forced to adapt more quickly and flexibly to drastically changing circumstances. In particular whereas the bishops of the East maintained clear allegiance to the Eastern Roman Emperor, the Bishop of Rome, while maintaining nominal allegiance to the Eastern Emperor, was forced to negotiate delicate balances with the "barbarian rulers" of the former Western provinces. Although the greater number of Christians remained in the East, the developments in the West would set the stage for major developments in the Christian world during the later
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Role of Church in Daily Lives of People
During the Middle Ages, the church provided education for some, and it helped the poor and sick. The church was a daily presence throughout a person's life, from birth to death. In fact , religion was so much a part of daily life that people determined the proper time to cook eggs by saying a certain number of prayers!
People also looked to the church to explain world events. Stons, disease, and famine were thought to be punishments sent by God. People hoped prayer and religious devotion would keep away such disasters. They were even more concerned about the fate of their souls after death . The church taught that salvation, or the saving of a person's soul, would come to those who followed the church's teachings |
The Pope, Politics & Power
While the Middle Ages went on, many new challenges arose for many different reasons. However, the biggest challenge came from the head of the Catholic Church, the Pope. The Pope had all the religious power necessary during the Middle Ages. It was the Pope’s duty to teach his followers how to live and pray. He was able to decide what the church would teach and more importantly during this time he was able to determine who was an enemy of the church. If the Pope deemed someone as a foe of the church, he was able to Excommunicate those who opposed his teachings. With these changes, the Pope was able to gain a vast amount of political power as well as fame and fortune, due to his followers.
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Monks & Monasteries
Although the monks were focused on God and the monastery, they still played an important part in the community. Monasteries were a place where travelers could stay during the Middle Ages as there were very few inns during that time. They also helped to feed the poor, take care of the sick, and provided education to boys in the local community. The majority of the monk's day in the Middle Ages was spent praying, worshiping in church, reading the Bible, and meditating. The rest of the day was spent working hard on chores around the Monastery. The monks would have different jobs depending on their talents and interests. Some worked the land farming food for the other monks to eat. Others washed the clothes, cooked the food, or did repairs around the monastery. Some monks were scribes and would spend their day copying manuscripts and making books.
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