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                                                   Monasteries

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                                                   Monasteries

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1. Did the gothic style of the Middle Ages dominate Europe?
2. When did it dominate?
3. What did the international gothic style present?

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https://app.discoveryeducation.com/learn/videos/a49970b9-c2f2-4323-a628-a43c265551e4?hasLocalHost=false

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1. Was studying more or less important in the Middle Ages
2. Does learning have to do with the Christain religion?
3. What was the 1st Medieval university?

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https://app.discoveryeducation.com/learn/videos/8de53f47-e864-4f75-97b5-26588040dd74?hasLocalHost=false

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Religion was important to all Christians

Some women and men solemnly promised to devote their lives to God and the church

Monks: men who joined monasteries, communities devoted to prayer and service to fellow Christians

Called monasticism

Men became monks for many reasons: refuge from war, sickness, or sinfulness, came to study, or were attracted to a quiet life of prayer and service

Saint Benedict developed the monastic way of life in Western Europe

He founded a monastery in Italy

His followers were known as the Benedictines

The followers followed Benedict’s Rule

Made 3 solemn vows:

1. Poverty (do not own property)

2. Chasity (never to marry)

3. Obedience (to obey their leaders)

Monks spent their lives in prayer, study, and work

Attended 8 church services daily

Other duties included caring for the poor and sick, and teaching and copying religious texts

Monks spent a lot of time working

Farming the land, tending to the gardens, raising livestock, and sewing clothing

Most monasteries were laid out around a cloister

Covered walkway surrounding an open square

North side was the church

South side was the kitchen and dining hall

Third side was the dormitory or sleeping quarters

The fourth side was the library writing room or the scriptorium

Here monks copied books by hand and created beautiful illuminated manuscripts

Monks kept the knowledge of the past alive by copying rare documents

Most of what we know today comes from the work of monks

Monastic life was one of the few opportunities open to medieval women who did not wish to marry

Women became nuns instead of monks

Lived in convents also called nunneries

Ran the same way as monasteries

Did the same work that monks performed

Many nuns became reformers and thinkers

Hildegard of Germany- founded a convent, wrote many books where she criticized some of the practices of the church, and wrote many letters to popes and other church officials

Monks and nuns joined religious orders

Each order had distinctive rules and forms of service

Mendicants were people who wanted to live a religious life without the seclusion of the monastic orders

Saint Francis of Assisi is a famous example

He was born to a wealthy Italian family

He gave up all of his money to serve the poor

He founded the Franciscans also called the Little Brothers of the Poor

Franciscans friars traveled to preach and to care for the poor and sick

Lived in complete poverty and had to work and beg for food

Mendicants means beggar

His friend Saint Claire founded a similar order for women called the Poor Clares

Francis loved nature and believed that all living things should be treated with respect

His example of faith, charity, and love of God represents an ideal form of Christian living

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Religious faith led to people performing extraordinary acts of devotion

Most Christians went on a pilgrimage sometime in their lives

Mostly traveled to Jerusalem (where Jesus was killed) and Rome

Visited churches that housed relics including the cathedral at Canterbury, England

Pilgrims went on these journeys to show their devotion to God

Required true dedication

Travel was difficult and dangerous

Traveled on foot

Popular pilgrimage routes had bridges and special roads built

Monks set up hostels (guest houses) for pilgrims to stay at

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a book about pilgrims going to a shrine titled Canterbury Tales

Crusades happened to free the Holy Land in the 11th, 12th, & 13th centuries

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People of medieval Europe looked forward to many festivals and fairs

Most celebrations were connected in some way to the church

Every day of the year was dedicated to a Christian saint, an event in the life of Jesus, or an important religious concept

The word holiday comes from “holy day”

The two greatest medieval holidays were Christmas and Easter

Christmas-celebrate the birth of Christ, celebrations lasted 12 days, no Christmas trees, homes decorated with evergreens, holly berries, and mistletoe, attending church on Christmas Day, and enjoying a great feast

Easter-celebrate the Resurrection (Christ’s rising from the dead), day of church services, feasting, and games (usually involved eggs-a symbol of new life)

Music, dancing, and food were all part of medieval holidays and festivals

People sing folk songs & danced to the music of wooden pipes and drums

People drink wine and ale (a strong beer) and eat baked and fried foods

Other favorite holiday entertainments include bonfires, acrobats, plays, jugglers, and dancing bears

During church services on special days priests acted out Bible stories

By the 13th century plays were often held outdoors in front of the church so more people could watch

In some English villegas, mummers (traveling groups of actors) would give elaborate performances with masks, drums, bells, dances, and make-believe sword fights

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Most schooling took place in monasteries, convents, and cathedrals

Pattern was established by Charlemagne who encouraged the church to teach people how to read and write

Scholars developed a new way of writing that was easier to understand

Wrote using capital and lowercase letters not just capital letters

We still use this system today

Clergy were the people most likely to be educated

Most students in church schools were sons of nobles studying for careers in the clergy

Spent most of their time memorizing prayers and passages from the Bible in Latin

Starting in the 1200s, cathedral schools gave rise to universities

Students in the universities studied Latin grammar, rhetoric, logic, geometry, arithmetic, astronomy, and music

Teachers would often read to students since books were very rare

Ancient text were greatly respected in universities but the church was uneasy about them

Church leaders feared that studying writers might lead to people questioning the church’s teachings

Thomas Aquinas-an Italian scholar of philosophy and theology tried to bridge the gap between reason and faith

He greatly admired Aristotle

He saw no conflict between reason and faith; thought they were both gifts from God

He believed that reason helped people discover important truths about God’s creation and faith revealed its own truths about God

He wrote logical arguments in support of his faith to show how reason and religious belief worked together

His concept of natural law stated that there was an order built into nature that could guide people’s thinking about right and wrong

Natural law could be discovered through reason alone because God created nature, natural law agreed with the moral teaching of the Bible

Brought ancient philosophy and Christian theology together

His teachings were later accepted and promoted by the church

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Most art was made for religious purposes

Paintings & sculptures of Christ helped people worship in the church since only a few Christians knew how to read

Art and architecture found most glorious expression in cathedrals, large churches headed by bishops

Cathedral comes from the Latin word for cathedra- the throne upon which the bishop sat

Cathedrals were built to inspire awe

Were the tallest buildings in towns

Taller than a 30-story building today

Built in the shape of a cross

Had a long central section called the nave and a shorter section called  transepts

Cathedrals built between 1150-1400 were designed in the Gothic style

Looked like they were rising to heaven

Had stone arches (flying buttresses) on the outside

Gargoyles are a unique feature of Gothic Cathedrals

Gargoyles are often carved on the top of cathedrals in the shape of hideous beasts

Gargoyles warned people that the devil will come if they don’t obey the church

Cathedrals were visible expressions of Christian devotion

Were mostly constructed by hand

Took 50-100 years to complete; some work took over 200 years

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Sacraments- sacred rites that Christians believed brought them grace

Church taught members that receiving the seven sacraments was an essential part of gaining salvation

The Seven Sacraments

1. Baptism-Entry into the church, first sacrament in a Christian's life, required in order to receive the other 6 sacraments, cleanses a person of sin, done by a priest pouring water over a person’s head at a baptismal font (the basin that holds the baptismal water)
2. Conformation-Formal declaration of belief in God and the church
3. Eucharist-Central part of mass (church service), the priest consecrates (blesses) bread & wine, the bread is the body of Christ, the wine is the blood of Christ
4. Matrimony (marriage)-Formal union blessed by the church, the couple signs their names in a registry, or a book of records after the priest  marries them
5. Holy Orders-Sacrament when a man becomes a priest
6. Penance-Confession of sins to a priest to receive God’s forgiveness, Catholics call it reconciliation today
7. Extreme Unction-A blessing where a person that is in danger of death is anointed (blessed with holy oil) by a priest, known as the sacrament (or anointing) of the sick today

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Sacraments and Salvation in the Middle Ages

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Sacraments and Salvation in the Middle Ages

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1. Most of a kingdom's land under the feudal system is owned by whom
2. How did Charlemagne differ from other kings?
3. Who would most likely know how to read and write?

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Christian religion is one of the most important legacies of Ancient Rome

Originally Romans persecuted Christians for their beliefs

Emperor Constantine allowed Christians to practice their religion freely in 313 C.E.

Christianity was the recognized religion of the Roman Empire in 395 C.E.

Organization of the Roman Catholic Church

1. Pope-Bishop of Rome, Supreme head of Roman Catholic Church, Assisted & counseled by cardinals
2. Cardinals-Appointed by the pope
3. Archbishops-Oversaw large or important areas called archdioceses
4. Bishops-Governed areas called dioceses from great cathedrals, Within each diocese, local communities called parishes were served by priests

Church acquired great economic power and was the largest landholder in Europe

Added to its wealth by collecting a tithe- 1/10 of a person’s money, produce, or labor

Church had great political power

Language of the church was Latin; only common language in Europe

Clergy (church officials) were the only people who were educated enough to read and write so they kept records and became advisors to monarchs

Caused conflict between the church and the monarchs over the rites of the church versus the rites of the state

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Middle Ages-Market

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Roman Catholic Church

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Roman Catholic Church-was very important 1000-1300 CE

Church was the center of medieval life in Western Europe - found in every village

Religious services were held several times a day and entertainment, markets, & meetings were held in churches

The church provided education for some people and the church helped the poor and sick

People looked to the church to explain events- including storms, disease, and famine

Christian belief was very widespread during the Middle Ages

Middle Ages were sometimes called the “Ages of Faith”

The church affects people’s daily life during the High Middle Ages