Power of the Church

Power of the Church All for the Glory of God

Hierarchy of the Church

The Wealthy Church • Save your soul through donations to your local parish church or cathedral or monastery! • Vast amounts of land would be acquired through wills of deceased cardinals, bishops, archbishops; who were often nobles. • By 1050, the church was the largest landholder in western Europe! • Clergy members made up the largest percentage of literate members of society. • This meant they were used as clerks to nobles and kings, thus could advise these lords in all sorts of matters.

An Age of Faith • Because people understood so little about the world, the church and religion filled in many of the gaps. • The common person tried to live a life that was in accordance to church principles so that they could achieve salvation. • People had to accept the beliefs of the church, live a moral life, perform good works, and pay tithes.

Life revolved around Church • Bells from the church signaled time for work, meals, rest, mass, and worship service. • Church was the center of the community’s activities. • Gathering place for town meetings, markets, and refuge • Church holidays were a pleasant break from the monotony of daily working life. • Attending morning mass, followed by visits, feasts, and dancing. • Church and the shared faith gave people a sense of community

Church and learning • Since Charlemagne ordered that all members of the clergy needed to be literate, the church established centers of learning in monasteries and cathedrals. • As towns grew and there was a flood of knowledge from the Muslim world, people wanted to become more learned too. • All around Europe, groups of students gathered to study philosophy, theology, law, and medicine. They began to form universities: guilds of teachers and students. • By the 1200s, universities replaced monasteries and cathedrals as the popular place of learning.

Religious Orders • A monastic life was very secluded. • Many followers wanted to be devout, but be amongst the people. • Religious communities, or orders, which did not shut themselves out from the world began. • They lived in towns and brought religion directly to the people.

Francis of Assisi • Was the son of a wealthy merchant, born Italy, 1182. • During a battle with a serious illness he had a vision of Christ that would forever change him. • Disowning his father and rejecting his riches, Francis vowed to live his life in poverty. • He focused his efforts on rebuilding churches and ministering to the poor. • Those drawn to follow his simple way of life were called the Franciscans, an order that still exists today.

The power struggle Kings and nobles had power to appoint bishops and other church officials in the 800s, often selling them to the highest bidder. Or rewarding loyal allies. The fact that kings held so much power over the church only strengthened their authority. Because of these appointments, and immoral behavior by the king, many lost respect for the church. • Pope Gregory VII • Reformist in favor of freeing the church from monarchy control. • Issued a document that the pope was above the king and only he could appoint church offices. • Warned that appointed otherwise would be removed, as would be their appointer. • King Henry IV Germany • Took Gregory’s treaty as a personal insult. • Demanded the Pope step down. • Gregory excommunicated the king. • This caused Henry’s subjects to turn away from him. • Henry gave in, walking barefoot to Italy, waiting 3 days in the snow, presenting himself as a beggar, before the Pope removed the excommunication.

The result of the fight between Gregory and Henry? The pope won this battle, but the struggle between kings of Germany and the popes continued until 1122. That year, church leaders, nobles, the kings representatives, and the pope met in Worms, Germany. There they signed the Concordat of Worms in which the king agreed to having the Pope select church leaders.

Expressions of Religious devotion • Painting and sculpture: Images of Christ, his ministry, his life and death. Bible stories and saints. • Greatest achievement and statement • The Cathedral

Cathedrals

Making of the Chartres Cathedral • You Tube video! • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16zh6zPlX98

Power of the Church