How influential was the Roman Catholic Church in medieval Europe?

1. Starting in the 1200s, cathedral schools gave rise to universities. Students in universities studied Latin grammar and rhetoric, logic, geometry, arithmetic, astronomy, and music. Books at that time were hand copied and very rare, so teachers often read to students.

2. Education

2.1. scholars developed a new form of writing that helped make reading easier. Instead of writing in all capital letters, as the Romans did, scholars began to use lowercase letters, too. We still use this system today.

3. art and architecture

3.1. art was made for a religious purpose. Paintings and sculptures of Jesus and Christian saints were placed in churches to help people worship. Since most people did not know how to read, art helped tell the story of Jesus’s life in a way that everyone could understand.

3.1.1. architecture

3.2. architecture found their most glorious expression in cathedrals, the large churches headed by bishops. (The word cathedral comes from the Latin word cathedra, meaning "the throne upon which a bishop sits".) Cathedrals were built to inspire awe. For centuries, they were the tallest buildings in any community. Often they were taller than a 30-story building of today. Most were built in the shape of a cross, with a long central section called the nave and shorter side sections called transepts.

4. Pilgrimages

4.1. Pilgrims went on these journeys to show their devotion to God, as an act of penance for their sins, or in hopes of being cured of an illness.

4.2. Pilgrims traveled long distances to visit holy sites, such as Jerusalem (where Jesus was killed) and Rome.

5. crusades

5.1. The Crusades were a series of military expeditions to the land where Jesus had lived, which Christians called the Holy Land.

5.2. Some people went on Crusade to seek wealth, and some to seek adventure. Others went in the belief that doing so would guarantee their salvation. Many Crusaders acted from deep religious belief.

5.3. crusades

6. holidays

6.1. Christmas is the day when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. During the Middle Ages, Christmas celebrations lasted for 12 days. On Christmas day, Christians attended church. Then they enjoyed a great feast, which was often held for everyone on the manor by its lord.

6.2. Other favorite holiday entertainments included bonfires, acrobats and jugglers, and dancing bears. Plays were also popular. During religious services on special days, priests sometimes acted out Bible stories. By the 13th century, plays were often held outdoors in front of the church so more people could watch. In some English villages, mummers (traveling groups of actors) performed with masks, drums and bells, dances, and make-believe sword fights.