Medieval Life 101 – Part II – Christians and the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages
Church and Mass
Most villagers attended Mass every Sunday, since they believed that by attending Mass they would be rewarded by God. Sunday was considered God’s Day.
People were encouraged to fast on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and on the evening before certain religious holidays. On fast days, they were supposed to eat only one small meal and they were not allowed to eat meat, only fish.
The church was often the only building made of stone in the village. It sometimes was built in the shape of a cross. The windows were often tall and narrow with a pointed arch at the top. These lancet windows acquired their name from their resemblance to a lance. These windows were often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures.
Located throughout the church were sculptures or paintings of Christ hanging on the cross. These roods or ‘crucifixes’ provided a focus for worship especially during Holy Week. The word ‘rood’ comes from the Old English word ‘rod’, which means ‘cross’.
The church also had many stained glass windows if the people of the village could afford them. Most people were illiterate so colourful pictures of Bible stories or the lives of saints were illustrated pictorially in the windows to help the people learn about the Bible.
The church bells were like an audible clock. They were very important, as they could be heard by the villagers while working in the fields.
The Mass was said in Latin during Medieval times. The villagers would speak in vernacular languages but became familiar with Latin through regular attendance at mass.
The worshippers would kneel on the straw covered floor of the church, as there were no benches or pews for them. The building would be quite cold so many villagers would arrive with ‘hand warmers’ which were metal spheres holding hot coals.
Medieval Christians believed if they sinned too much they would not be able to get into heaven. Hence, they would tell the priest their sins in an act of confession and ask forgiveness from God. The priest would then give them penance, which was a form of punishment. Penance would often consist of saying certain prayers, or fasting or going on a pilgrimage.
To purify the air, the priest would swing censers, suspended on gilded chains, full of burning incense. Censers were vessels in which incense was burned, especially during religious services. The word ‘censer’ is from the Old French word ‘encens’ meaning incense. The ecclesiastical censer was usually cup-shaped with a cover pierced in holes. The censer bearer would swing it to quicken the combustion
The celebration of the Eucharist involved the priest saying a prayer over wine and a special bread called the “Host”. The blessing of the priest turned the wine and bread into the blood and body of Jesus Christ. This was the most sacred part of the Mass. During the Eucharist a suspended golden dove above the altar, symbolized the Holy Spirit.
They celebrated the holy days with special Masses, parades and feasts. These holy days were known as “Feast Days”. Besides Sundays, they were often the only days when people did not have to work which is where the word “holiday” comes from. The main Christian holidays were Christmas, which celebrated the day that Jesus was born, Easter and Pentecost or Whitsunday.
Medieval Christians had a special day to honour the Eucharist named The Feast of “Corpus Christi”, which means “the Body of Christ” in Latin. It was celebrated in May or June. After the service there would be a procession in which the priest and worshippers carried the host through the streets.
Fare thee well till morrow,
Lady Sharon,
Your humble scribe from the Knights of the Pain Table
Medieval Life 101 – Part I – Christians and the Catholic Church
This post is simply superb in producing very good information on Christianity in Medieval ages and especially the author of the post have briefed very well on the post and thanks for providing very good and nice information on Sunday the God’s Day.
Good Tidings,
I thanketh thee for thy kind words. It is my pleasure to share the history of Christianity during the Middle Ages. The more that we understand history, the more we understand the present.
May your day be filled with Peace.
Lady Sharon
Your Humble Scribe of Camelot