The Medieval Church

Chapter 8 Section 3Notes

“Age of Faith”

Christian belief was so widespread that the Middle Ages is called the “Age of Faith”

Each town had at least one church and this building was not just the site of Mass and the rites of the sacraments – town meetings, festivals, markets and fairs were held here

Medieval Manor Church

Church

Integral part of peoples’ lives – daily life revolved around the church

Church bells signaled the hours of the day for the entire village

Nobles and commoners alike looked to the church for leadership and direction – to become a knight, king or vassal need to take part in religious ceremony

In order to support itself, required Christians to pay a tithe (church tax) (a tax equal to 1/10th of their income)

PriestsAgents of the Roman Catholic ChurchLooked to for guidance in all things religious and non-

religious (secular)Celebrated mass (worship service), administered

sacraments (sacred rites of the Church), preached Gospels, guided people on issues of values and morality, offered help to sick and needy, performed marriages, baptized children and buried the dead

And politics – were lords and vassalsadvised kings and nobleskept records for kings who couldn’t read or write

Existence of God

Accepted as factUltimate goal of Christian belief was salvation

(saving)earned through – following the beliefs of the church, performing good works and living a moral life

Through salvation gained entrance into heaven (heaven = place where they would live forever without desires or needs)

Role of Women

Men and women equal before GodBUT:• Viewed as “daughters of Eve”• Weak and easily led to sin• Needed the “guidance” of men• Ideal woman = modest & pure (like Mary)

Painting of the Monastary at Kells where the book of Kells was written

Spanish Monestary

MonksDevout Christians who felt the world was so

wicked that they had to withdraw from it to find a life of peace dedicated to God

• Benedictine Rule – created by a monk named Benedict in about 530 (at the Monastery of Monte Cassino)– Rules to regulate monastic life– Used by monasteries and convents across Europe– 3 daily duties: working, studying and praying– 3vows: chastity, poverty and obedience

Monks• Monks talented as scribes hand copied ancient texts

preserving the knowledge of the Greeks and Romans (a form of labor)

• Often included Illuminated manuscripts • Monasteries were self-sufficient – they had to farm,

cook, sew, build, raise animals and produce food• Also worked for the community (charitable tasks) –

hospitals for the sick, refuge for the homeless, food for the poor, lodging for travelers and sacraments for the faithful

Nuns

• Lived in convents• Could not become priests• Could not say mass or hear confession• Worked with monks to perform a full range of

Christian tasks

The Church and Feudal SocietyPope = spiritual leader of the Catholic ChurchClaimed papal supremacy (authority over all

secular rulers)Papal States = pope’s feudal land holdings in

central ItalyPope and other church officials often feudal

lordsChurchmen often only educated people – so

appointed to high government positions

Canon Law (laws set up by the Church)Church body of laws w/ its own courts

applied to religious teachings, the clergy, marriages and morals

Anyone who disobeyed faced SEVERE consequencesExcommunication – being kicked out of the churchInterdict – order to exclude an entire region from the church

Tried to use authority to end feudal warfare. . .

Reform Movements

Wealth & power ↑ discipline ↓Cluniac Reforms: Early 900s

Abbot Berno of Cluny – set out to end abusesrevived Benedictine Ruleno longer allowed nobles to interfere in monastery affairsfilled monastery with men devoted to

religious pursuits

Pope Gregory VII (in 1073)

Extended Cluniac reforms to the entire Churchoutlawed marriages for priestsprohibited simony (selling of Church offices)called on Christians to renew their faithChurch, not kings or nobles, choose Church officials

Said that Pope is ABOVE all kings and nobles

St. Francis of Assisi

Friars

Monks who did not live in isolated monasteries but traveled around Europe’s growing towns preaching to the poor

Francis of Assisi – preached poverty, humility and love of God – cheerful, confident God would take care of them, loved nature

Dominic – set up Dominican order – chief goal was to combat heresy by teaching official Roman Catholic beliefs