Medieval Religion Essay

However, the only feature of the cathedral that is there today but was not added during the original construction was the stained glass windows which were made between 1912 and 1930. Paul Vincent, an English stained glass artist, was responsible for making the stained glass. Then, in 1927 and 1931, the cathedral went under renovations. According to the official website of the Archdiocese of New York, these renovations included a larger sanctuary and the introduction of the great organ. Many years down the road, in 1976, the cathedral was made a National Landmark.

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

walls, there are paintings of the Life of the Virgin. On the bottom of the walls there are images of the seven ecumenical councils. The song “The Last Judgement” is painted on the west wall. Numerous figures of martyrs are painted on the pillars, and there are also many icons. There used to be an icon of “Our Lady of Vladimir,” but later on the icon was moved to St. Basil’s Cathedral so it wouldn’t be stolen because it was so expensive. There are icons of the Virgin Hodegetria, Saint George, Trinity. There is a large iconostasis, which is a screen bearing icon that separates the sanctuary from the nave, that occupies the whole wide wall of the cathedral.

The year was 1194. Flames licked the side of the cathedral at Chartres. The famous pilgrimage sight had seen destruction before, and was built and rebuilt several times over, however most times the destruction left a skeleton that could be used as a foundation for the new cathedral. By the time the flames had died down the only thing that remained was the western façade, and a scrap of cloth, said to been worn by the Virgin Mary when she gave birth to Christ. After The fire, work was immediately started on the construction of another cathedral, built in a more daring and modern style than the last. . The west façade would remain, as it was clearly heavens will, the rest of the cathedral

Many of today’s most popular religions did not originate where the majority of their religious followers live. For example, Hinduism is one of the oldest major religions and it was created somewhere near or around the Indus Valley (which is now modern day Pakistan). Another example is Christianity or Christian Orthodox. This religion originated in the eastern section of the Roman Empire. Eventually both of these religions, along with their customs and beliefs, became popular amongst other people, cultures, and even nations, therefore spreading across the

Throughout history, different civilizations have been exchanging and spreading ideas. Of these ideas, religion often spreads the most drastically, finding new roots in places throughout the world. These spreading religions can greatly affect the nations they spread to, often impacting the political, social, and economic aspects of an area. Religions such as Buddhism in Japan and Christianity in the Americas allowed their monarchies to strengthen their reign on their citizens, adapt their societies to the new theologies, and cultivate wealth through both trade and conquest.

Two of the most widely practiced religions around the world today are Christianity and Buddhism. However, they did not start off with such a large following. Christianity, was a small cult that branched off of Judaism and was being strongly prosecuted against. Buddhism was just a single person trying to find a reason for and an end to the universal suffering that he had just newly encountered. Even though the following of Christianity and Buddhism had started off small, by developing their core beliefs as rejections of Judaism and Hinduism, they were able to better fascinate and convert others.

but also greatly contrasts the plain exteriors of Christian Basilicas. “The surface decoration of the

The spread of religion first began through contact with neighbouring countries which gradually expand throughout the years. Buddhism and Islam are one of the most widespread religions across Southeast Asian countries like Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Trade merchants and imperial support of the religion were major factors in the facilitation and localization of the spread of Buddhism and Islam within Southeast Asia. However, there were also limitations presented which hindered the development of each religion in within their countries as introduction of newer religions and changes to political and imperial power would have affected the progression to become fully localised pre-1800s.

The power of The Church, in The Middle Ages, was enormous. It touched almost everyone's life in many important ways. The Church baptized a person at birth, performed the wedding ceremony at people' marriages, and

While constructing both of these cathedrals there were sculptures created that represented narratives of theology and mysticism. Both were created for a place of worship that’s why sculptures and paintings of religious images were added. This showed a great respect for the belief in Christ and the surrounding believers.

People in the middle ages were very religious. People believed that Roman Catholic Church represent God. The church had a big influence on the content spread in the Middle Ages, and they were content with religious or moralistic. The only religion recognized in Middle Ages Europe was Christianity and specifically Catholicism. Christianity in the middle ages dominated the lives. The life of the medieval people was dominated entirely by the church and many religious institutions gained power and wealth. It was single the larges institution in west of Europe. It touched everyone’s life no matter what rank in social class they lived in. Everyone in western Europe was Rome Catholic Christian at that time. From the reaches king all the way down.

greed when the church was built and dressed so lavishly. There were rumors of corrupt

Chartres Cathedral is one of the most significant achievements of all the historical architecture. Additionally, it is entirely preserved with its original details. The unique features of the cathedral are intact, and thus when one visits the place, he or she is likely to encounter the authentic architecture work as it was done many years ago. Chartres Cathedral symbolizes an atmosphere of awe and holiness (Katzenellenbogen, 2). As such, it was built for religious purposes. However, it attracts the nonbelievers as well. As a holy building, it has many glass windows to light the building. Due to its height, a double flying buttresses is used to support the high nave. The cathedral was the first building in history that used buttresses since it was considered as necessary for the peoples’ culture and as a sign of authority. It was built to reflect a symbol of power since the religious leaders engaged in politics too. The cathedral has many statuses that represent the Biblical aspects such as Elijah, Isaiah, John the Baptist, Jeremiah, and Simeon (Katzenellenbogen, 9). The standings portray the Christian faith that was used by the architectures while building the cathedral. The interior floor stands thirty-six meters high and is one hundred and twenty-eight meters wide. The sizes show how vital it is and it can host many peoples who visit for religious functions.

Stained glass has played a major role in reflecting Christianity’s beliefs because of the multitude of uses it has in a church. Stained glass windows are used in Christianity to represent and provide a visual picture for the Bible and the lives of Saints. The windows also serve the church by letting light from outside in. According to members of the Gothic church, when the light enters through the stained glass it becomes divine light and is the light of God. The divine light in the church symbolized the spirit of God. Because stories were depicted