In the Middle Ages, architecture impacted faith which in turn, played an important role for the society. Saint Abbey of La Magdeleine supported the rise of Catholicism as it provided a large place of worship and aided the people to convert with the use of its relics. The background of this building and the connections it had to many biblical figures made the society believe it was sacred.The basilica had many major components which showed different themes correlated with the prime religion of the Middle Ages: Catholicism. Viollett-Le-Duc was the architect who was in charge of reconstructing the basilica.The events that occurred during the era further affected the artist and the politics of France during the time period.The power of the church could be seen as the resulting factor for its place in the social structure, as its leaders had the ability to control the kings and emperors who ruled over certain regions.
Abbey of la Madeleine is located in Vezelay in the country of France. It dates back to 1096-1150 and is still active. Its style is Romanesque and Cluny was the person who sculpted the capitals in the nave. The nave included myths, legends and bible stories which were also carved by him. Mystic Mill is the most famous capital at Vezelay. It symbolizes the Old and New Testament by including a scene for Moses and one for Paul. The scenes depict moses grinding grain into flour while Paul collects it in a sack. The basilica ties in with the Catholic church by having divine beings like Jesus on a throne at the tympanum. He is seen passing on his holy spirit to the Apostles.
St. Bernard launched the Second Crusade from this site in 1190. There were also two other crusades which were launched from Vezelay, easily sh...
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...15th and 18th century, Vezelay was a great place to live. The houses, flower gardens and medieval streets would make you feel right at home. In the Middle Ages, the Frankish Kings in the French society could not keep things in order. The estates that provided support were slowly depleting. The vikings were the most destructive invaders of the time. They raided anything they could find. In 12th century France, the lords tried to limit their children’s marriage rights.Political power had declined after the Carolingians. Afterwards, the kings of France were forced into rivalries. The real rulers of French territory in medieval times were the princes. The Capetians were soon able to retake authority for many centuries. The French knights had been multiplying like never before. This dramatically increased the chaos on top of everything that was already happening.
The Ghent Altarpiece painted in completeness by Jan and Hubert van Eyck in 1432. This altarpiece is filled with symbolism. One of the most important pieces of the altar is the Deity Enthroned, which represents the Lord in Christianity. The painting covered with symbols and words. The artists portrays many signs with different meanings from the deity’s clothes to the background.
Another example of Christian iconography is The Transfiguration. It is located in the Church of Saint Catherine’s monaster...
Whilst Henry VI’s was in rule during the 1450’s, England had many issues and problems that cause such instability in the country. One of the largest factors arguably is the loss of the Hundred Years war between The French and English over France. This in turn caused many problems to occur with links to almost every feud the country faced. Yet some historians argue that Normandy wasn’t the main issue of instability in England instead of other reasons such as instability.
The Crusades took place in the Middle East between 1095 and 1291. They were used to gain a leg up on trading, have more land to show hegemony, and to please the gods. Based upon the documents, the Crusades between 1095 and 1291 were caused primarily by religious devotion rather than by the desire for economic and political gain.
The Church was, undoubtedly, the most powerful body in Europe at the beginning of the Middle Ages. In most Western kingdoms the Pope had more power than the king himself, and the Christian religion controlled all aspects of daily life. People were to devote themselves utterly to the Church in prayer and giving, and they would be saved. As seen in Document 6, the lords and nobles committed themselves to the service of God before men, saying, “Nor will I ever with will or action, through word or deed, do anything which is unpleasing to him [God]…” Those who lived during this time trusted the Church’s explanations for the workings of the world. They saw God as all powerful, as the force behind everything. Art and music thus were focused around the Church and giving praise and thanks to God. Most art works of the time featured Jesus or other saints.
In the year 1095 the First Crusade was just beginning. Pope Urban II called Christians to liberate the Holy Land from Muslim oppressors. He promised indulgences and the gift of eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven for fighting in the holy war. Those that answered the call were peasants, beggars, the poor looking for riches and the unknown looking for glory. What started out as a pilgrimage to help fellow Christians secure their borders and repel foreign invaders soon became the first of many Holy Wars for the Kingdom of God.
The crusades in the middle ages were a long-lasting series of vigorous wars between Christians and Muslims over the Holy Land, Jerusalem. The crusades lasted for almost two hundred years. They began in 1099 and approximately ended in 1291. (What were the motives, and causes of these gruesome wars?) is the first question one might ask. To properly answer this question, I am about to analyze the first four crusades that had began in 1099 and ended in 1212.
The First Crusade was established in 1095 in a council of the Church in Clermont. Alexius I Commenus, emperor of Byzantium, wanted to control Asia Minor and Northern Syria after losing to the Turks. He needed more Western troops and looked towards Pope
Ziggy Marley once said, “God is like the sun. When the sun shines, it shines for everyone. God is for everyone.” In the same way, Abbot Suger built the Basilica of St. Denis so that sunlight would flood throughout the building and symbolize the power of God inviting visitors into the cathedral. The Basilica of St. Denis was an artistic response to the rise of the Catholic Church’s power for it was modeled to be a physical representation of heaven, which the church heavily preached upon. (Thesis) As the basilica represented the shift from Romanesque architecture to Gothic, Abbot Suger introduced new techniques that transformed cathedrals to look more spacious and “heavenly”. (Map Statement #1-Art History) By allowing sunlight to come through the large windows, Abbot Suger instilled the Neo-Platonic idea that the sun was the physical representation of God. (Map Statement #2 –Philosophy) Also, at that time, the church was rising in power, so the new structural style of the basilica brought more converts and eventually more power to the church. (Map Statement #3 –Social Institutions) [Insert Literature Map Statement] The Basilica of St. Denis was built so that worshippers would be in awe of the “heaven-like” setting, which would cause more people to declare their faith to God and to the church.
"The Crusades (Overview)." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2011.
In 1096 the zealous Christian Crusades began in Europe. The Church wanted to have the Holy Land, ...
In 1095, Pope Urban II called the first crusade. Happening between 1096 and 1099, the first crusade was both a military expedition and a mass movement of people with the simple goal of reclaiming the Holy Lands taken by the Muslims in their conquests of the Levant. The crusade ended with the capture of Jerusalem in July 1099. However, there has been much debate about whether the First Crusade can be considered an ‘armed pilgrimage’ or whether it has to be considered as a holy war. This view is complicated due to the ways in which the Crusade was presented and how the penitential nature of it changed throughout the course of the Crusade.
Thesis: Both St. John the Baptist Cathedral and Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Chartres are constructed in French Gothic style which means that architecturally they have many similarities. However, the 700 year gap between their construction offers St. John the Baptist more flexibility in design and style. Still, their likeness and variations extend far beyond the realm of their design.
Throughout the time of the Middle Ages the Roman Catholic Church served as one of the most influential institutions in all of Medieval Europe, the Church served as a significant force in the arts, crafts and culture of Europe. The Church had a ranking structure (hierarchy) that was in many ways almost identical to the Feudal System, this showed that the Church had much power in those times then they do today and showed the influence that the Church had in those times. The power and the influence of the Church in those times were mainly roo...
Architecture strongly affected religion. People were building many gothic and Christian churches/cathedrals because they wanted more people to become Christian and for everyone to follow one religion. As a result of so many Christian churches around, more citizens and people form other countries in Europe converted to Christianity because they were becoming more aware of the religion and feared execution if they didn’t convert.