Religion

Learning objectives

* identify the main religion in Western Europe

* examine the ways in which the Catholic Church influenced Western Europe

* the perspective and reliability of sources

The Roman Catholic Church was found throughout Western Europe. It's rituals were similar throughout the continent. It used a common language (Latin). People were expected to live according to church law and attend Mass. Sermons by priests reminded parishioners (people who attended church) of their responsibilities.

The Authority of the Church

The Head of the Roman Catholic Church was the Pope. He was God's representative on earth. Important church officials responsible to the Pope included:

a. cardinals

b. archbishops

c. bishops

The church was extremely powerful and had a central role in government's throughout Europe. Important church officials advised lords and kings, as well as having key government positions. Lesser clergy (church officials) were responsible in taking the message of the Church to everyday people in villages. They also collected taxes which were vital to the Church's wealth. In villages, this tax was called a tithe. The tithe required that 10% of a person's income or produce (eg. sheep and crops) should be paid to the Church. In this way, the church became extraordinarily wealthy during the Middle Ages.

People who acted against the Church could be excommunicated. They could no longer attend Mass or receive Church sacraments. They were told that they would go straight to hell. The Church ensured that fear of hell, with fires and devils, was instilled in everyone.

ACTIVITY 1

Students: Copy and paste the above text on the "Authority of the Church" into your wiki.

Complete the following table:

Source 1

Discussion: What does Source 1 suggest about the attitude of the church to hell? How do you think a Medieval person might have felt about hell after seeing this source? What is the perspective of the source? Is this a reliable Source for a historian learning about medieval attitudes to hell?

THE PARISH CHURCH

Almost every village had a parish church. Usually churches were the only building in a village that was built of stone and brick. It was also the largest building in the church. The church walls and stained glass windows depicted scenes from the Bible (especially the life of Jesus). Most people in the congregation of the church (audience of the church) were illiterate and unable to understand Latin. Pictures of biblical scenes helped parishioners understand important messages from the Bible. Church bells helped people keep track of time during the day as people did not have clocks.

Source 2

Discussion: What materials is the Parish church made out of? What does this suggest about the importance of religion in village life? How might a poor peasant in the Middle Ages feel walking into this building? What parts of the Church's facade (outside) help teach peasants and villagers about biblical scenes?

The church also had roles in the community that might today be the role of governments. They might be responsible for:

a. community centres

b. fairgrounds

c. roads

d. education

Activity 2

Students: Copy and paste the text on the "Parish Church" and questions below in your wiki:

Cathedral's

Many cities in Europe have at least one cathedral. The word 'cathedral' comes from a greek word, 'kathedra.' This refers to the bishop's seat (or throne) in the back of the church. Bishops ran their diocese from the cathedral - diocese refers to the parish churches in the surrounding region. Cathedrals were important buildings and this was reflected in their size. They towered over other buildings in towns and cities. Some cathedrals took more than 100 years to build. Cathedrals emphasised:

a. the wealth of the church

b. the power of the church and the clergy

c. the importance of religion to medieval communities

At the end of the Middle Ages the role of the church became contested - there was a split within the Christian church and Lutheranism and Protestantism became important in some nations.

Source 3

Discussion: What features in Notre Dame Cathedral are similar to Titchfield Parish Church? What features are different? How do you know this building would have been considered extremely important in Paris during the Middle Ages?

ACTIVITY 3

Students; copy and paste the above text "Cathedrals" and the questions below in your wiki.

ACTIVITY 4: PAINT WELLS CATHEDRAL

Teacher activity:

Project the presentation in the Google Drive called "Pilgrimages" in the Middle Ages:

Student activity:

Complete the worksheet in your Google Drive called "Pilgrimages" while watching the powerpoint presentation.

ACTIVITY 5:

PILGRIMAGE DIARY ENTRY

Students: Complete this task in your wiki.

Imagine you are on a pilgrimage from London to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Write 3 diary entries describing some of your adventures as you travel to this important site. In the entry:

* explain why you have undertaken a pilgrimage

* transport used

* dangers

* food

* the countryside

* how do you feel when you reach Santiago de Compostela?