Christianity in the Middle Ages

1
Christianity in the Middle Ages

• Monks, Nuns, Friars, Pilgrims,
• Monasteries and Convents

2
Christianity Spreads North

• When Rome fell, Christianity was just becoming an
  important force. Christianity in Europe at that
  time was practiced by members of the Roman
  Catholic Church.
• At the beginning of the Middle Ages, Christianity
  was only popular in places that had been part of
  the Roman Empire (e.g. Italy, Greece and Spain).
• Christianity was spread to the north by
  missionaries and monks.

3
Missionaries

• The head of the Roman Catholic Church was called
  the Pope.
• Some popes sent out missionaries to teach people
  about Christianity and convert them to the faith.
• The first missionaries were sent to the areas
  that are now England, Germany and France.

4
St. Patrick

• Lived in the AD 400s
• Famous for converting Ireland to Christianity.
• He used a clover (a common plant in Ireland) to
  explain Christianity this is why clovers are
  used on St. Patricks Day
• Made a saint (title given by the Catholic Church
  to holy people) for his work in Ireland.

5
Monks

• While missionaries went out to share
  Christianity, monks isolated themselves from
  society to practice their faith.
• Monks (men) lived in monasteries and nuns (women)
  lived in convents which sprang up all over Europe.

6
Contributions of Monks

• For the most part, monks lived in isolation.
  However, they did offer services to their
  communities
• Offered shelter to travelers
• Provided health care/hospitals
• Aid for the poor
• Ran schools
• Copied books
• Collected ancient writings
• Spread/shared their faith

7
Vows of Monks

• To become a monk, a person took a set of vows.
  The most common were
• Poverty
• Chastity
• Obedience
• Silence (not all monks)
• Life in monasteries followed a strict set of
  rules. Days were spent in prayer, study and work.

8
Religious Orders

• Different religious groups developed based on the
  teachings of famous leaders.
• St. Benedict (Benedictine Order) created the
  Benedictine Rule which first set up the strict
  behavioral guidelines followed by most monks in
  the early middle ages.
• The Monks of Cluny isolated themselves completely
  and focused only on religious matters.

9
Religious Orders (cont.)

• Some religious orders wanted to practice their
  faith while living among the community. These
  groups were called friars.
• Two famous groups are the Dominicans and the
  Franciscans.
• Friars roamed an area preaching and begging for
  food.

10
St. Francis of Assisi

• Lived 1182-1226 AD
• Founded the Franciscan Order
• Born wealthy but gave up wealth to serve the poor
• Patron saint of animals and ecology

11
Pilgrimage

• A popular activity for Medieval Christians was to
  take a journey to a special religious place.
• Pilgrims traveled to the Holy Land or to the
  burial sites of famous saints.
• Some people took pilgrimages to show piety or
  devotion, others saw these trips as great
  adventures.