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Roman Catholic Church--very important; 1000-1300 CE

Center of Medieval Life: festivals, fairs, religious services, markets

Church provided education; helped the poor and sick; was also a daily presence throughout the person’s life

Storms, disease, and famine were thought to be punishments from God

People would use prayer to try and prevents disasters; church taught salvation would come to those who followed the church’s teachings

Christian belief was very widespread; during this time historians sometimes call the Middle Ages “Age of Faith”

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Festivals and fairs were used to mark important days in Europe

Most of them were connected to the church

The two most greatest medieval holidays were Christmas and Easter

Christmas is when Christians celebrate the birth of Christ

Easter is when Christians celebrate Resurrection, or Christ’s rising from the dead

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Most schooling took place in monasteries, convents, and cathedrals

These rules took place under the rule of Charlemagne, who encouraged the church to teach people how to read and write

Clergy were the people who were most likely to be educated

1200’s - cathedral schools gave rise to universities

Universities - a school of advanced learning

Students in Universities studied latin grammar and rhetoric, logic, geometry, arithmetics, astronomy, and music

Rhetoric - the study or persuasive writing and speaking

Church feared that studying ancient texts would make students question to church’s thinking

Natural law - the concept that there is a universal order built into nate that can guide moral thinking

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Pilgrimage - a journey to a holy site

Traveled long distances to places like Jerusalem (Where jesus died)

Relic - an object considered holy because it belonged to, or was touched by, a saint or other holy person

Pilgrims went on these journeys to cleanse themselves of their sins, or cure an illness

Convent - a community of nuns

Nun - a woman who has taken a sacred vow to devote her life to prayer and service to the church

Another type of service was to fight in the Crusades.

Crusades - military expeditions to the land where Jesus had lived, which Christians called the Holy Land

Jerusalem became a Muslim city (The Christians did not like this!)

1095 - 1270 - Christians in Western Europe organized several Crusades to recover Jerusalem and other sites of pilgrimages.

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Christianity is one of the most important legacies of ancient Rome

Romans initially persecuted Christians for their beliefs; 313 C.E., emperor Constantine ordered that Christians could practice their religion freely

At the start, all Christians belonged to a singled church, the Roman Catholic Church.

The church provided leadership, and even organized the distribution of food.

Monasteries, or communities of monks, provided hospitality for refugees and travelers

Church leader developed an organization that was based on the old Roman government

In the High Middle Ages, they created a system in which all members of the clergy had a rank

1050 - the church had great economic power, and it was the largest landholder in Europe

Added to its wealth by collecting a tithe

Also came to wield great political power

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Most people in medieval Europe believed in God and an afterlife, in which soul lives on after body’s death

Failing to gain salvation condemned the soul to eternal suffering in hell

Receiving the seven sacraments was an essential part of gaining salvation

Baptism - Entry into the Church, a priest gently pours his or her head to cleanse the person of sin at the baptismal font, the basin that holds the baptismal water.

Confirmation - Formal declaration of belief in God and the church.

Eucharist - The church service in which the priest blesses bread and wine. In Catholic belief, the consecrated bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ.

Matrimony (marriage) - A formal union blessed by the church. After being married by a priest, a couple signs their names in a registry, or book of records.

Holy Orders - The Sacrament in which a man becomes a priest.

Penance - Confession of sins to a priest in order to receive God’s forgiveness. Today Catholics call this sacrament reconciliation.

Extreme Unction - A blessing in which a person in danger of death is anointed (blessed with holy oil) by a priest. Today this rite is known as the sacrament (or anointing) of the sick.

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Most art was for religious purposes

Paintings and sculptures of Christ and Christian saints were placed in churches to help people worship

One of Europe’s most beautiful piece of works were their cathedrals

Cathedrals built between 1150 and 1400 were designed with a Gothic style.

Gargoyles were usually found on these cathedrals

Gargoyles were stone spouts projecting from the rain gutters on the roof, and they were usually carved in the form of beasts

Inside the Gothic cathedrals was a large amount of space, lined with pillars and decorated with religious images

Had beautiful stain glass windows

The average time it took to complete a cathedral was 50 to 100 years, it sometimes even took 100 years!

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Monks were men who joined monasteries (community of monks) this way of life was called monasticism

Monasticism - a way of life in which men and women withdraw themselves from the rest of the world in order to devote themselves to their faith

Men become monks for many reasons, some seeked refuge from war, sickness, or sinfulness. Some came to study, and some were attracted by a quiet life of prayer and service.

Saint Benedict, one of the men to live the most monastic way of life, created Benedict’s Rule.

Benedictines (people who followed Benedict's Rule) made three solemn promises, to own no property, never to marry, and to obey their leaders.

Monks spent their life in prayer, study, and work.

Monks copied rare documents, and by doing so they kept knowledge of the past alive

Women also become monks; they were called nuns.

Many nuns became important reformers and thinkers

Both monks and nuns joined religious orders.

Religious orders - a brotherhood or sisterhood of monks, nuns, or friars

Friars - a member of a certain religious order devoted to teaching and works of charity