The Role of the Church in Medieval Europe
EQ: How influential was the
Roman Catholic Church
in Medieval Europe?
The Role of the Church
in Medieval Europe Terms
1. Persecute
2. Monastery
3. Monk
4. Clergy
5. Excommunicate
6. Sacrament
7. Pilgrimage
8. Relic
9. Convent
10. Nun
11. University
12. Rhetoric
13. Theology
14. Natural Law
15. Monasticism
16. Illuminated
Manuscript
17. Religious Order
18. Friar
The Role of the Church
in Medieval Europe Terms
1. Persecute
• To cause a person to suffer
because of his or her beliefs
2. Monastery
• A community of monks
The Role of the Church
in Medieval Europe Terms Cont.
3. Monk
• A man who has taken a
solemn vow to devote his
life to prayer and service in
a monastery
4. Clergy
• The body of people, such as
a priest, who perform sacred
functions of the church
The Role of the Church
in Medieval Europe Terms Cont.
5. Excommunicate
• To formally deprive a
person of membership in a
church
6. Sacrament
• A solemn rite of Christian
churches; brings blessings
from God.
The Role of the Church
in Medieval Europe Terms Cont.
7. Pilgrimage
• A journey to a holy site
8. Relic
• An object considered holy
because it belonged to or
was touched by a saint or
other holy person
The Role of the Church
in Medieval Europe Terms Cont.
9. Convent
• A community of nuns; also
called a nunnery
10. Nun
• A woman who has taken a
sacred vow to devote her
life to prayer and service to
the church
The Role of the Church
in Medieval Europe Terms Cont.
11. University
• A school of advanced
learning
12. Rhetoric
• The study of persuasive
writing and speaking
The Role of the Church
in Medieval Europe Terms Cont.
13. Theology
• The study of God and
religious truth
14. Natural Law
• The concept that there is a
universal order built into
nature that can guide moral
thinking about right and
wrong
The Role of the Church
in Medieval Europe Terms Cont.
15. Monasticism
• A way of life in which men
and women withdraw from
the rest of the world in order
to devote themselves to their
faith
16. Illuminated Manuscript
• A handwritten book
decorated with bright colors
and precious metals
The Role of the Church
in Medieval Europe Terms Cont.
17. Religious Order
• A brotherhood or sisterhood
of monks, nuns, or friars
18. Friar
• A member of a certain
religious order devoted to
teaching and works of
charity
The Role of the Church in Medieval Europe
EQ: How influential was the
Roman Catholic Church
in Medieval Europe?
The Christian Church Takes Shape
• Around 30 C.E.: Jesus
teaches to small group
of followers
• Romans persecute
Christians
• 313 C.E.: Constantine
legalizes Christianity
• 395 C.E.: Christianity
becomes recognized
religion of the Roman
Empire
• In the late 8th and
early 9th centuries,
Charlemagne helps
unify the church.
The Increasing Power of the Church
• By 1050 C.E.:
– the Catholic
Church taxes
everybody (tithe)
10%
– is largest
landowner in
Europe
– has great political
power because
only clergy could
read
The Increasing Power of the Church (cont.)
• 1073-1085: Pope Gregory VII
undertook several reforms
– forbidding priests to
marry
– outlawing the selling of
church offices
– banned the practice of
kings appointing priests,
bishops, and the heads of
monasteries
– excommunicated the Holy
Roman Emperor: Henry
IV because Henry
objected to the reforms
Sacraments and Salvation
• Catholic Church
states that to
achieve salvation
one needs to follow
the church’s
teachings and live a
moral life
Seven Sacraments
• Baptism: entry into the
church;
• Confirmation: formal
declaration of belief in God;
• Eucharist: consecration of
bread and wine;
• Extreme unction: blessing
given to someone in danger
of dying (anointing of the
sick);
• Holy orders: a man becomes
a priest;
• Matrimony: a formal union
blessed by the church;
• Penance: confession of sins
Pilgrimages and Crusades
• Christians went on
pilgrimages to visit
holy sites and visit
relics
• In England many
visited the shrine of
Thomas Becket
• Pilgrimages were
made to Rome and
Jerusalem
• Crusades were holy
wars to free the Holy
Land from infidels
Art and Architecture
• During the Middle Ages
most art was made for
religious purposes
• As people couldn’t read,
art helped tell the story
of Jesus
• Cathedrals: were the
tallest buildings in town;
were named for the chair
the bishop sat on; were
usually built in the shape
of a cross; took 50 –100
years to build.
Education
• Most schooling took
place in monasteries,
convents, and cathedrals
• In the 1200s, universities
develop and teach many
subjects including:
rhetoric and theology
• Thomas Aquinas tried to
bridge gap between faith
and reason; created
concept of natural law
Holidays
• Holiday comes
from “holy day”
• Two of the greatest
holidays were
Christmas and
Easter
Monks, Nuns, and Mendicants
• Monks live secluded
religious lives.
• Monasticism
• Convents
• Illuminated
manuscripts were
created by monks by
hand and kept
knowledge of the past
alive
• Nuns had many
similarities to monks.
• Many nuns became
important reformers
and thinkers.
Monks, Nuns, and Mendicants (cont.)
• Friars traveled
among the people
• Franciscan Friars
were poor and had
to work or beg for
food.
• St. Francis believed
all living things
should be treated
with respect.
The Organization of the Catholic Church
Clergy
•
•
•
•
•
Pope
Cardinals
Archbishops
Bishops
Priests