Knights of the Pain Table

Catholic Church
 

Medieval comes from the Latin “medium aevum”, which means “the middle ages.”    It was a time of kings and bishops, monks and pilgrims and knights and ladies.     If we look back we find that cities, universities, banking systems, entertainment, and medicine all had their roots in the Middle Ages. 

The Catholic Church was one of the most powerful and wealthy institutions of the Middle Ages.     It was at the centre of the Medieval World, as it was the only church in Europe and all Christians belonged to it.    The Church owned large areas of land and the Archbishops would advise the kings and great lords that ruled Europe.      The Church ran most of the schools and hospitals, gave alms of food and clothing to the poor.

The people of the Middle Ages dealt with battles, disease and famine.      With so many hardships most people turned to their religion.       For many,  life on Earth was hard and short,  but the Church said that if they followed the teachings of Christ, they would be rewarded in heaven.    If they died without being forgiven for their sins,  they would be sent to the abyss of hell, which was ruled by a former angel named Lucifer (Satan),   whom God threw out of heaven.    Hell was a real and terrifying place for people in Medieval times.     As Christians they also believed that people who died before they were forgiven for their sins, had to spend time in a place called Purgatory before going to heaven.

Christians believe in one God and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ,  who they believe is God’s Son on earth.    The Pope is the leader of the Catholic Church and is God’s representative on Earth.     Bishops, in the Middle Ages, were the local leaders of the Church.     From their great cathedrals they ruled over dioceses,  which were divided regions in Christian Europe.    Bishops often were from noble families and were involved in affairs of state. 

Each diocese was divided into smaller regions called Parishes.    Parishes had their own churches and priests.    The parish church was a medieval invention.     Christian churches were either planted by the city cathedrals or were built by landowners on their own property.    These private churches served the landowners and their tenants.   

The Priest was usually a commoner by birth.     His life was often one of poverty and one of little education.    The Priest tended to the sick and poor.     He was not only a religious leader, but also a teacher, a friend and a member of the community.     Schools were often found in churches. 

When wealthy people died they often left the Church land or money to pay for prayers that would help them get to heaven.    The peasants paid 10% of what they earned in a year to the Church.     This tax was called “tithes”.    Gifts of barley to the church were common.   The church reeve would hare the barley brewed into ale and sold to raise money for the upkeep of the church.     The term “church ale” is still used today to describe fund-raising for the church.  

Behold the Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, England, where pilgrims and visitors have made their way since the Middle Ages.    The Cathedral’s history goes back to 597AD when St Augustine baptized the Saxon king Ethelbert.       In 1170 Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in the Cathedral and ever since, the Cathedral has attracted thousands of pilgrims, as told famously in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

I humbly take leave till morrow,
Lady Sharon
Scribe of Knights of the Pain Table

Medieval Life 101 – Part II

To learn more about the Canterbury Cathedral visit their website.

Tags: Catholic, Catholic Church, Christian, Christianity in the Middle Ages, Medieval Life, Middle Ages

This entry was posted by Lady Sharon on Tuesday, November 27th, 2007 at 11:35 am and is filed under Christianity and Saints, History, Medieval Life, Religions of the Middle Ages. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.