Transcript Slide 1
The Role of the Church in
Medieval Europe
Clergy
• Society in the Middle
Ages consisted of
“men of prayer, men of
war, and men of work.”
- Alfred the Great
• Clergy influenced all
levels of society,
especially kings,
because they were
educated
Clergy
• Church guided life of
people… from
baptism to marriage
and to death
• Power to condemn or
to forgive very
powerful in people’s
lives
Church Hierarchy
Pope – head of church, Latin
for “Father”
Cardinals – advisors to the
Pope, controlled the
archbishops and choose new
Pope from the cardinals
Current Pope:
Benedict XVI
El Grego,
Portrait of
a Cardinal
Church Hierarchy
•
Archbishops – controlled
archdiocese and bishops
• Bishops – controlled “diocese”
in larger cities or
provinces made of
many parishes
Church
Hierarchy
•
• Abbots – in charge of
monasteries and local parishes
Priests - local church or parish; led
religious services(weddings,
baptisms, and funerals),
cared for sick
• Lived in monasteries
• “Hard” or physical
labor to support their
communities
• Occasionally preached
• “Low man” on the
Church Hierarchy
“totem pole” but crucial
since they were in
contact with people the
most.
Church
Hierarchy:
Monks
• Complex
community of many
different buildings
– Granaries
– Breweries
– Bakeries
– Wineries
– Abbey church
– Library /
scriptorium
– Hospital
– School
Monastery
Self contained like a town
Monastery
• Inside libraries monks
copied manuscripts
• Wrote in beautiful
handwriting
• Drew elaborate
illustrations…………
• Illuminated letters
“Spreading the Word”
• Religious communities formed
• Monks could travel, spread
Christianity, and do “good
deeds” for the poor
• Saint Francis of Assisi began
his own group of monks
….helping the poor and sick
St. Francis of
Assisi
Church Hierarchy: Women
• Women were excluded
from church employment
except as nuns or
directors of Abbeys
• Nuns were “Brides of
Christ”; swore never to
marry, devoted to
charitable work
Church Hierarchy:
Women
Illuminated letters were an art
form and common practice for
nuns and monks copying texts
for sale to help the convent or
monastery.
• Worked with the poor,
provided shelter,
medicine and helped
their religious
community
• Abbesses: nuns in
charge of convents--communities for the
nuns
Saint Clare of Assisi
Power of the Church
Church encouraged Christians to
save their souls by donating
money to the churches
• Nobles were encouraged to leave
their lands to the church (upon
death) in return for saving their
souls increasing the church’s
holdings and wealth
Power of the Church
Clergy were most often
the only members of
society able to read
and write
• Most kings were
illiterate-clergy were
advisors to the king =
very powerful
Kings and conflict with
the church
800 CE Kings and nobles
tried to take power from
church.
Kings appointed their own
people (relatives and
friends) to church
positions, such as bishops
and cardinals
Kings and conflict
continued…
The new pope Gregory
VII wanted to give back
power to church.
Announced that Pope
was higher than king
and that only the Pope
could appoint members
to church
Kings Conflict Continued…
King Henry IV refused
Pope’s edict
(formal announcement)
Pope excommunicated
King Henry IV
Education Spreads in Europe
Monasteries became too small to
teach those who wanted to be
educated
• Began meeting outside or in taverns
….eventually began to construct
buildings, which grew into universities
and colleges
Art of the Medieval Church
Most art (paintings and
sculptures) were religious
and featured Christ or
people from the Bible or
lessons
Flat, stylized art… not three
dimensional
Art of the Church
Filled with art, stained glass,,
sculpture, and paintings
Tribute to God ….built to strike
“awe” in those who viewed the
art in these cathedrals