Breakdown of the Medieval Roman Catholic Church, organization and structure

1. 11/28/16 Bell Ringer
You are a stone carver, apprenticed to a master builder. The
bishop has hired your master to design a huge new church. He
wants the church to inspire and impress worshippers with the
glory of God. Your master has entrusted you with the
decoration of the outside of the church. You are excited by the
challenge!
What kind of art will
you create for the
church?

2. I can explain the importance of the
Medieval Catholic church and the spread
of Christianity during the Middle Ages.
SPI 7.39 Explain the importance of the Catholic church as a political,
intellectual, and aesthetic institution, including founding of universities,
political and spiritual roles of the clergy, creation of monastic and
mendicant religious orders, preservation of the Latin language and
religious texts, Thomas Aquinas’s synthesis of classical philosophy with
Christian theology and the concept of “natural law.”

3. The Spread of Christianity
• Why will Christianity begin to spread during
the Middle Ages?

4. The Church in the Middle Ages
• Religion was a huge part of everyday life
• People were Christian/Roman Catholic
• People were loyal to the
Pope - the head of the
Roman Catholic Church and
spiritual authority over all
• Freedom of religion was NOT a huge concept

5. Church organization
• Pope in Rome
• Archbishops (regions)
• Bishops (major cities)
• Priests (manors and villages)
• Monks and nuns (monasteries)
– Religious community

6. • The Catholic Church taught that all
people were sinners and dependent
on God’s grace to go to Heaven.
• The only way to get this was by
taking part in the sacraments
(church rituals) that were controlled
by the Church

7. The Sacraments are:
The seven sacraments are ceremonies that point to what is sacred,
significant and important for Christians.
1.Baptism
2.Confirmation
3.Penance
4.Holy orders
5.The Lord’s Supper (Communion)
6.Matrimony
7.Anointing the Sick

8. • Communion (Lord’s supper)
commemorated Jesus’s death and
sacrifice of dying on the cross to save
people from their sin
• Communion is taken
at the Catholic ritual
weekly service
known as Mass

9. • The Mass was said in Latin,
a language few people
understood
• Few could read or write and
very few actually read the
Bible
• For common people, the
services were very hard to
understand
Catholic Mass

10. • Monasteries are like
churches where
monks live.
• A monk lives a life of
service to God
• A monks life includes
work, meditation, and
prayer
Monasteries

11. • Monks dressed in
simple robes of coarse
material.
• Most monasteries
required vows of
prayer and silence.
• Women could do the
same in convents, but
focused on spinning,
weaving, and
medicinal herbs.
Monks

12. • Although monks and nuns lived apart from
society, they were important in society.
• They taught reading and writing, preserved and
copied religious texts, and ran hospitals for the
needy.
• In 597, the Pope Gregory I sent monks to
England to convert the Anglo-Saxons
(Germanic tribes that inhabited England in the
5th
century)
Monks & Nuns

13. • By the mid-1000’s, most of
Western Europe was Catholic.
• The Church had its own courts
and laws. They could keep
people out of heaven by
preventing them from receiving
the sacraments.
• The Church received donations
of land from kings who wanted
to ensure salvation.
• The church owned 1/3 of all
land in Europe.
Rise of the Catholic Church

14. • Excommunication – kicked out of the
church
• Give lands to the faithful
• Allow faithful people to be appointed to
Church offices
• Cash money ($$$)
hurch Power over Peop

15. • By 900 AD, many Christians were calling for
Church reform. This began in Monasteries.
• One of the most important changes occurred
in 1059. The Church said that political
leaders could no longer participate in the
election of the Pope.
• “Cardinals” would now elect the Pope, rather
than secular (non-church) authorities.
Church Reform

16. Sponsored by
Budweiser
• In 1215, Pope Innocent III tried to reform the Church.
• He convened a council that condemned
drunkenness, feasting, and dancing among Church
officials.
• To seek out and punish heretics, the Church set up a

17. • Friars were wandering
preachers that encouraged
further reform in the 1200s.
• They followed monastic
rules but lived among
common people to preach.
Friars & Reform

18. 10 minutes
End

19. Medieval Catholic Church Quiz
1) Who is the leader of the Catholic Church?
A. King of France
B. King of England
C. Holy Roman Emperor
D. Pope
2) True or False: During the Middle Ages the Catholic Church was rich and powerful.
A. TRUE
B. FALSE
3) How did the church become so wealthy?
A. Through tithes from the people
B. Paying of penances
C. Paying of sacraments
D. All of the above
4) Cathedrals were usually designed in what shape?
A. Star
B. Cross
C. Diamond
D. Circle
5) A cathedral was the headquarters of this church leader?
A. Priest
B. Abbot
C. Bishop
D. Monk
E. Nun

20. Medieval Catholic Church Quiz
6) True or False: Cathedrals during the Middle Ages were built rapidly and with little regard to quality.
A. TRUE
B. FALSE
7) What did Gothic architecture allow for in cathedrals?
A. Thinner walls
B. Taller walls
C. Tall windows on the walls
D. All of the above
E. None of the above
8) Who was usually the first person to be converted to Christianity in a country?
A. A farmer
B. The bishop
C. A knight
D. The queen
E. The king
9) What is the main body of a cathedral called?
A. Nave
B. Transept
C. Altar
D. Apex
E. Narthex
10) True or False: The Jews played an important role in the economy of Europe during the Middle Ages.
A. TRUE
B. FALSE

21. 1. What is Catholic Mass?
2. What is the name of the
building monks live in?
3. List 1 example of power that
the Catholic Church had.
4. Name 1 of the Catholic
reform movements.