3. Spread of Christianity  Through pilgrimages and missionaries the Christian faith continued to spread throughout Europe  Conversions continued until the Roman Catholic Church dominated the Europe  Not only the main religious power but also become a political and economic power

4. Monks and Nuns and Friars  Monks and Nuns – withdrawn from the world in order to pray and focus on their religion  Lived in monasteries or convents  Followed Benedictine Rule  3 vows  Obedience  Poverty  Chastity/purity  Provided for social needs  Health care  Educational services  Kept literature alive  Friars –traveling preachers

5. Parish Priest and Church  Priest worked in a local village or parish  Majority of the population had contact with only with their priest  Duties  Conducted mass  Administered sacraments  Preached the teachings of the church  Interpreted the Bible  Helped the sick  Local church  Basis of social activities as well as religious  Life revolved around the Christian calendar  Main events in life happened at church  Baptism  Marriage  Death  Christians had to pay a tithe to support the local church

6. Bishops  Bishops  Duties  Supervised and appointed parish priests  Administered confirmation and holy orders  Managed church property  managed larger churches called cathedrals  Cathedrals become grander over time  Source of pride

7. Advancements in Late Middle Ages  Art and architecture  Gothic style (cathedrals)  Flying buttresses  Stained glass  Illuminated manuscripts  Religious art  tapestries

10. Church Hierarchy

11. Political Power  Popes claimed papal supremacy – authority over secular rulers  Pope controlled the Papal States  Vast lands in Italy  High clergy (bishop/archbishop) were feudal lords who had fiefs and armies  Able to collect taxes and become very wealthy like other nobles  Many were relatives of political leaders or held political and church positions

12. Punishment  The church was able to maintain much power through the use of punishments  Church developed laws – canon law  Created a court to uphold laws  If you disobeyed you faced:  Excommunication – could not receive sacraments (kicked out of the church)  Interdict – excommunication of an entire region

13. Corruption  As the Church and many of the high clergy gained wealth and power, discipline weakened  Problems  Simony – purchasing church positions  Lives of luxury  Priests marrying  Lack of following vows  Lead to movements of reform through the Church

14. Jews in Medieval Europe  Many Jewish communities throughout Europe  Persecution in tough times  Leads to exodus to Eastern Europe