The Church• The Church was the single most dominant institution in

medieval life, its influence pervading almost every aspect of people's lives. Its religious observances gave shape to the calendar; its sacramental rituals marked important moments in an individual's life (including baptism, confirmation, marriage, the eucharist, penance, holy orders and the last rites); and its teachings underpinned mainstream beliefs about ethics, the meaning of life and the afterlife.

• With it's own laws, lands and taxes The Catholic church was a very powerful institution. The Catholic Church also imposed taxes. In addition to collecting taxes, the Church also accepted gifts of all kinds from individuals who wanted special favours or wanted to be certain of a place in heaven. The power of the Catholic Church grew with its wealth. The Catholic Church was then able to influence the kings and rulers of Europe. Opposition to the Catholic Church would result in excommunication. This meant that the person who was excommunicated could not attend any church services, receive the sacraments and would go straight to hell when they died.

The Pope• The headquarters of the western Church

was Rome. For most of the medieval period, this was the chief residence of the Pope, who was regarded as the successor of St Peter. Christ had appointed Peter the chief apostle, and gave him the 'keys to the kingdom of heaven (Gospel of St Matthew 16:19) which, according to tradition, were inherited by his successors.

• The western church maintained the status and powers of St Peter devolved to his papal successors; however, the primacy of the Pope was rejected by the Eastern Church, which had a distinct hierarchy, theology and liturgy.

Church Organisation• The success of the Church as a dominant force can be

attributed in no small measure to its highly developed organisation, which over the course of the Middle Ages developed a sophisticated system of governance, law and economy.

• The institutional Church can be divided into two unequal parts: the larger of the two was the secular church, and the other was the regular church, so called because its members followed a monastic rule (regula, in Latin). The secular church, attended by the general population, was carved into regions governed by Archbishops, and their territory was in turn divided into areas known as diocese, which were administered by bishops. The parish church was the basic unit of the Christian community, providing the sacraments required by the lay community. For most medieval Christians, religious experience was focused on a parish church which they attended, at least in theory, on Sundays and religious festivals.

• The regular church, by contrast, consisted of men and women who had sworn vows of obedience, celibacy and poverty. Most of these people lived in communities governed by a 'rule', a book of instructions. The most influential and widespread rule was the Rule of St Benedict (c.620-630), which set out a detailed routine consisting of manual labour, prayer and study.

Pilgrimage• Pilgrimages to holy places enabled

the faithful to atone from their sins, seek miraculous cures and extend their experience of the world. Bodily remains of saints, and also objects associated with them (such as the Virgin's mantle, the holiest relic at Chartres Cathedral), were the star attractions for pilgrims.

• Pilgrims might travel relatively short distances to see and touch the shrines of local saints, or undertake more ambitious (and dangerous) journeys. The most popular destinations were Rome, Santiago de Compostela in Spain, the Holy Land, and Canterbury.

Dissent• The Church aggressively struggled against dissenters

within and without: Christians who disagreed with the Church's teachings were considered heretics, and could be physically punished or even killed. Those of other faiths were also treated harshly. Jews who lived within Christian territories were, at best, tolerated, though episodes of extreme anti-Semitism are numerous; even after Jews were expelled from England by Edward I in 1290, they remained a focus for popular hatred and vilification. The series of Crusades against non-Christians and heretics began in 1095, with an armed mission to the Middle East.

• In the past, the Middle Ages was often characterised as the 'Age of Faith', but now it is recognised that this moniker conceals the complexity of the medieval religious culture. Christianity was the dominant religion, but not everyone followed the faith with the same intensity: judging from legislation and sermons encouraging lay people to attend church and observe its teachings, many people were lukewarm in the faith, while others were openly or covertly sceptical

Monasticism• Monasteries were religious communities where people lived by very

strict religious rules. There were different ‘rules’ or orders, for example Benedictines and Cistercians. Each community had an abbot, it was the abbot who had sovereignty over the community -- he was elected for life and could not be replaced. A monk could neither leave the community nor could he refuse obedience.

• Monks exerted a very powerful influence over all facets of society. As managers of large estates they were able to set an example of sound farming practice. Monks and nuns performed many practical services in the Middle Ages, for they housed travellers, nursed the sick, and assisted the poor; abbots and abbesses dispensed advice to secular rulers. Monasticism also offered society a spiritual outlet and ideal with important consequences for medieval culture as a whole. Monasteries housed perhaps the most literate of all members of medieval society. Monasteries contained libraries and scriptoria, or writing rooms, in which manuscripts were copied. Donations from wealthy patrons were made in exchange for the monks praying for your soul.

• Over time, powerful medieval families began to construct monasteries on their own estates. Whether their motivations were spiritual or not, it is clear that having a monastery on one's estate was a sure sign of grace. The abbots were frequently related to these powerful families and so it happened that the monastic estates were managed in the interests of these powerful families. In this way, monasteries very quickly became integrated into the power relations of medieval society.

Beliefs• During the Middle Ages religion was

everything. It was not unusual for people to go to church everyday and pray five times a day. People believed that all the good things in life were due to the bounty of god and that the evil events of the times were due to their sins.

• Priests’ sermons would endlessly bombard people with images of hell in order to encourage them to lead a pious life. These were supported by ‘doom paintings’ for the mostly illiterate society – the pictures on this sheet are examples.

• People acutely believed sins would result in going to hell and the only way to save your soul was through the church. As a result many people would make large donations to the church and often left their possessions and land to the church on their death.