During the Middle Ages, the English church’s suggestions were spoken by God’s own voice. The Church encouraged pilgrimages to various holy places, or shrines, to search for spiritual enlightenment and penitence from sin. This ideology says that if one were to pray at a shrine, one could be forgiven of one’s sins, thus increasing the chance of going to Heaven after an earthly death. Those suffering from a plethora of aliments and other illnesses might also make a pilgrimage in the hope of being healed of it. For whatever their reason, pilgrims made their way to the various shrines; they were influenced, in part, by furthering their faith through religious relics. Pilgrims sought out relics and saw these pieces of material as much more than mere trifles; rather, these items were a means to obtain salvation.
Pilgrims ventured to shrines, often times paying money or other forms of patronage, in the hope of being allowed to look at or perhaps even kiss the religious relics displayed in the shrine. Much like a modern-day traveler of the United States who collects stickers from the various states to affix on a suitcase, pilgrims were given a metal badge after their visit to a shrine; they would wear these badges on their hats, signifying they had visited a particular shrine—pilgrims had their own form of postcards from their travels. Pilgrims normally traveled in larger groups during their journeys, as making a pilgrimage was a dangerous affair. On an opposite end of the spectrum, some people wanted to go on pilgrimages without actually going on the journey itself. A wealthy person might pay another to make the trek for him to a particular shrine setting.
One notable shrine in England is the tomb of Thomas Becket. Becket was at one ti...
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...othing more than trinkets, many saw them as rare mementos of their faith, adding a great, divine comfort to their searching. Whether it is the shrine of Thomas Becket or a locale containing a baby tooth of the Savior in the Christian faith, pilgrims flocked to these places on their pilgrimages much the same way as someone might want to flock to a heavenly acceptance. Throughout time figures like King Henry VIII and others have tried to stop the progress of religious shrines and the relics therein, but halting a pillar in the any faith is not a task suitable for a mortal. Some relics, people of the time believed, had the power to heal aliments that even earthly medicine failed to do. Thanks, in part, to the relics and the journeys it took to find them, the Christian faith and the belief of the people transcended any earthly authority and bordered something divine.
"Pope Gregory I sent a mission to England of 40 monks, headed by the Benedictine prior Augustine... to convert Anglo-Saxons." Since Christianity was so scarce in Britain since the Romans had removed themselves that Pope Gregory I wanted to bring back Christianity. Instead of transforming all pagan practices to Christianity, for fear that it would not work that way, he combined the two religions into one religion called Hiberno-Saxon. This new religion flourished among the England and Ireland people. Christianity was so influential that it was able to transform pagan practices drastically, even enough to change the pre-Christian decorative vocabulary of the Sutton Hoo treasure that was created to honor a pagan god into a treasure that honored
become complex and variegated” because there existed a “global” aspect in Europe. Rubin thinks that it is important to realize that Europe was not regionally isolated during that period. “Medieval Europeans were travelers” and when they returned home they shared their “tales, experience and expertise.” This vast travel was possible because there was a “modicum of safety... on the road and in public spaces.” It is from within this milieu that missionaries were able to travel and so “the figure of Mary accompanied [them and their] initiatives of reform and renewal.” Because of these insights, Rubin thinks that “historians of medieval Europe may [need] to develop a practice that is
Lambdin, Laura C. and Robert T. Lambdin, ed. Chaucer's Pilgrims: An Historical Guide to the Pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales. London: Greenwood Press, 1996.
In the talk given by Birgit Meyer, she discusses that the reformation of the second commandment in the Catholic religion, is about how God forbids man to worship him through an idol, in this case, images of the divine because it is only a representation of God but it is not God himself. As we continue to pray to the divine through images or statues, especially in church or any other religious gathering, I think that the theme as well as the point that Meyer was trying to make is that people are more skeptical nowadays about the existence of heaven or about any religious figures because they do not have tangible proof therefore, these images and statues gives people some sort of proof that religious beings exists and that their power will be
As I walked into the first gallery, I saw a wood sculpture that stood in the center of the room. This carving depicted “the crucified Christ, flanked by the Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist with Angels holding instruments of the Passion”. It was painted oak and very appealing to the eye. It stood approximately 15 feet in the air. The origin of this sculpture is unknown, but it was found in a Belgium church. This kind of sculpture usually stood at the entrance or at the center of the alter in the church facing the congregation. This image of the suffering Christ relates to the Christian ideas of suffering and Christ’s salvation of all mankind.
The Basilica of St. Denis contributed to the rise of the Catholic Church, for it provided a physical representation of the “Holy Jerusalem”, for many people to see. By viewing this representation of heaven, many people reestablished their faith into the church and longed for salvation, so that they can be accepted into the “spiritual heaven” after their death. This desperate attempt to gain salvation caused individuals to devote themselves to the church, which brought the Catholic Church leverage, power, and wealth.
One of the most famous pilgrimage churches of the Romanesque period is Saint-Sernin in Toulouse, France. Saint-Sernin was a faithful Christian church and a lot of Christian pilgrims flocked the church to see the site where St. Peter was crucified. The middle ages wasn’t a time of safe and easy travel; therefore, Pilgrims had to deal with harsh storms, thieves, and maybe even travel in groups to lower the chances of trouble. The journey lasted months and a great amount of money had to be devoted into this journey. Those who visited the church during their journey would stop buy for prayer and/or meditation. The church had many significant art styles used, but one of the most important was the ones similar to the Romans, yet their faith was different. Saint-Sernin was getting so many visitors such as painters, sculptures, and even courtiers; this led to a new and bigger church.
In 1241, King Louis IX was 27 years old, when he decided to build the Sainte Chapelle to house his great treasures – the relics of Christ. In the thirteenth century, the kingdom of France was a prosperous nation in wealth and power. The popular and well-known university, Notre dame was located in Paris that occupied over 200,000 students from many different cultures. “In 1237, the new Franc Emperor of the East, Baudoin II de Dourtenay, was faced by heavy expenses of a mainly military nature; he tried to meet these by selling the Relics of the Passion that were preserved in Byzantium and which he had already partly pledged to the Venetians” (Finance 4). In 1239, Louis bought from him the Holy Crown of Thorns, and two years later bought from him fragments of the True Cross and other relics connected to Christ. King Louis IX was a model for all Christian kings, and this reaffirmed his devotion to Christ, made his kingdom shine in western Christianity, and supported the empire of France. “It is probable that from this date onwards the king thought of building a monumental reliquary to house the precious relics in a dignified manner within the palace precincts, in a similar fashion of the Christian Emperors of the East” (Finance 5). The Sainte Chapelle sparkles like a rare jewel that has magnificent architecture and decoration; the stain glass windows seem to be inside of a jewel case. The many jewels seem to change color every hour with the sunlight rays bouncing back and forth. “The founder, King Louis IX, the future St. Louis, who had it built to house the Holy Relics of the Passion, today dispersed” (Finance 1). The spire has statues of Christ’s apostles at the base of the spire and has angles decorated above the apostles. The ...
The women in Susan Glaspell's “Trifles” and Henrik Ibsen's “A Doll's House” creates a complex picture of male-female relationships and their effects on women's views about reality. Nora Helmer, the main character of Ibsen's play, seems totally happy with her family and social life: she is constantly pampered and patronized by her husband and plays the role of a trivial, small girl who cannot take pertinent choices. In a similar manner, Minnie Foster, the central character of Susan Glaspell's “Trifles”, spends her life in separation and rejection, banned by her husband from realizing her purpose and aspirations. Nora and Minnie are two strong females in a male-dominated world, who choose different ways to cope with gender inequalities and protest against gendered standards and expectations of female performance.
Religion in the Middle Ages takes on a character all of its own as it is lived out differently in the lives of medieval men and women spanning from ordinary laity to vehement devotees. Though it is difficult to identify what the average faith consists of in the Middle Ages, the life told of a radical devotee in The Book of Margery Kempe provides insight to the highly intense version of medieval paths of approaching Christ. Another medieval religious text, The Cloud of Unknowing, provides a record of approaching the same Christ. I will explore the consistencies and inconsistencies of both ways to approach Christ and religious fulfillment during the Middle Ages combined with the motivations to do so on the basis of both texts.
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer are a collection of Middle English short stories written about a group of pilgrims telling tales as they journey to the shrine of St Thomas Becket. In this collection of tales, Chaucer introduces a slew of interesting characters representing all walks of life who present intriguing stories of their lives. The character of Chaucer serves as our guide throughout this story. Chaucer’s narration is unique in that we see him both as someone who could be there in the tavern with the group but at other times, Chaucer is a narrator who seems to know far more than he should. With this type of narration, we gain different perspectives on the pilgrims and
In order for the crusades to begin, the Christians needed to gather an army to travel and fight the forces of Muslims. With all the power being held by monarchies at this time, the church needed to be cleaver in order to gain troops to put their lives on the line. To gain the support of these warriors and dedication of men, Pope Urban II (1088-1099) challenged those morals of men by telling them to grab their weapons and join the holy war to recover the land of Jerusalem. It was not the challenge that convinced men to take part in this war. The promise of “immediate remission of sins” attracted the men to stand up for their religion and beliefs while at the same time, promising them a trip to heaven when life comes to an end. With this statement, men instantly prepared for battle which in a very short period of time gave the church power which has been held by the monarchies. Men of rich and poor prepared for battle, some wearing ...
When I was a child I used to be frightened of entering such a place for it seemed so imposing and somewhat dangerous, especially when music was being played. One day, in order to keep a promise I had made, I saw myself forced to enter. It took me quite a while to get the courage to pass through the old oak door, but the moment I stepped in, I realized just how enchanting and breathtaking this building could be. Its fantastic architecture and exquisite frescoes reflect perfectly the unity between this earth and the unseen kingdom of angels in such a manner that one cannot say where one ends and the other begins. The way in which the church was built is also the vivid testimony of a medieval period. Although it is a place that can sometimes be cold and ask for respect it is where prayers are answered and magic is done. An overwhelming feeling of inner harmony takes over you once you enter and God seems much closer. Darkness and light are welded perfectly together creating Redemption’s house. The tower allows you to see the entire town from the smallest river to the biggest building site, offering you its mightiness.
Our knowledge of the historical worth of certain religious doctrines increases our respect for them but does not invalidate our proposal that they should cease to be put forward as the reasons for the precepts of civilization. On the contrary! Those historical residues have helped us to view religious teachings, as it were, as neurotic relics, and we may now argue that the time has probably come, as