Art, Lit, & Culture of the Middle Ages Lesson 1.4 Art, Lit, & Culture of the Middle Ages
Architecture Flying Buttress –architectural element that supports a wall’s weight from the outside, getting rid of the need for interior columns Cathedrals –church for the bishop of a city Gothic –style that emphasizes height & decoration
Teaching religion through art Stained Glass Windows Illuminated Manuscripts Decoration of religious (text) Taught the illiterate Hand written used in Churches to tell stories from the Bible or the lives of the saints Taught the illiterate Beautified the space
Tapestry Large woven or embroidered wall hangings Showed scenes from battles, daily life & religion
Literature Secular Poetry Often sung or recited Epics (stories w/ a hero based on history) Song of Roland Romances tales of chivalry (knight’s code of honor) True love Performed by troubadors
Secular Literature with religious themes In the vernacular: the language of the people (not Latin) Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer The Divine Comedy Dante Alighieri The Canterbury Tales: The Wife of Bath
Learning in the Middle Ages Growth of universities increased the flow of Greek & Roman knowledge in Europe Scholasticism –reason (logic)& faith (revelation by God) needed to understand truth Movement started by Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologica (book) "Of all human pursuits, the pursuit of wisdom is the more perfect, the more sublime, the more useful, and the more agreeable."