Monasteries were a very powerful influence on people in the Middle Ages. It was were a community of monks and nuns lived and worshipped, devoting their time and life to God. They were seen as intermediates between the mortal world and God. The daily chores and activities that they carried out were all seen as acts of worship to God. This was how they would live out their lives preaching to God and spreading the word of the Lord. Monasteries had a social, cultural, economic and spiritual significance to the society.
Monasteries and Abbeys had a strong impact on the world during the middle Ages. People saw the monasteries as holy land and so they worked on it without any pay because they saw it as a good deed to God. Monasteries performed important
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Due to this, they were well regarded as intermediaries between the people and God. Monasteries were admired, as they were a self-contained area where monks and nuns chose to live a simple life of prayer and work. Reading and copying books was one of the many services that the monks did, which was based around bible readings and important holy books and teachings. The monks and nuns spent most of their nights and days in prayer or in silence. Silence was a technique the monks used to find their inner spiritual self. Furness Abbey also known as St. Mary of Furness was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which made it even more sacred to the community. The monks that lived in Furness Abbey were separated into two different groups; the clerical who were the people that focused on the choirs, literature and spiritual sector of the abbey and the laical, who were the teachers, workers and agricultural …show more content…
The land generated money for them through rent and farming. The monks who lived and worked in them were very holy. The peasants were taught that the only way to Heaven and salvation was through the church. People had therefore worked on the Church land for free. Another form of payment the Church received was by families paying a tenth of the yearly income to the Church. Due to this the Church became very wealthy and powerful gaining a lot of land and it was on this land that they built the monasteries. The Monasteries provided religious service to the community and received money in return. They also received donations in the form of money or goods, which was used or sold. Multure was a big part of the income that monasteries received which was a fee paid to the owner of the mill and everyone needed to use it to grind their grain. Monasteries also received money by holding courts and handing out fines to the people living under the abbey’s jurisdiction. Furness Abbey was the second richest and most powerful abbey in England. The monks of the abbey were large land owners and the most powerful group of people in an area which was very remote.
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Monasteries in the Middles Ages , such as Furness Abbey, greatly impacted the society and were a great source of influence to the followers who worshipped God. The people believed that the way to Heaven and Salvation is through serving the church and had therefore
At the beginning of Henry VIII’s reign in 1509, there were over 800 monasteries in England, but by 1540 the majority of these ceased to exist and all that was left of most of them was a ruin. The monasteries were rich and powerful institutions which were loyal to the Pope. From 1536 to 1539, Henry VIII, and his advisor, Thomas Cromwell wanted to close down the monasteries. There were two real reasons why Henry VIII wanted to get rid of the monasteries, firstly because he wanted access to the wealth of the monastery and he wanted the treasures of the land owned by the Church. Secondly Henry VIII
Social life in the Middle Ages was heavily influenced by the feudal system. The King was at the top of the society then the nobles, knights, and peasants/serfs. The King, nobles, and knights talk to each other the serfs/peasants are all by themselves (Doc. 1). If you were born as a serf, you would be a serf for the rest of your life. The kings controlled the land. The nobles were the assistants for the kings. The knights protected the nobles and the kings, and the serfs were farmers (Doc. 1). Another influence on the social lives of people was the Church. In a time of great political chaos, the Roman Catholic Church was the single, largest unifying structure in medieval Europe
Feudalism, during medieval society, was parallel to the existence of the Catholic Church and its influence over the population. Religion permeated all elements of society and the way in which they related to each other. The Church wasn’t only a spiritual power, but a political and economic one and the struggles between the political and religious leaders will be key factors in the development of the medieval world. The church will also be the primary keeper of knowledge in the Middle Ages, and they will accomplish most cultural advancements.
The Medieval monastery was established during the middle Ages, this was a place where people got together (mostly monks, nuns and other spiritual beings) and they spent their time praying, studying and most of all helping
main religions at the time. They did so by living in monasteries, in the monasteries help the less
Religious Pastures influenced society during the middle ages of Europe greatly because (doc b) they have superiority over other people and have a larger voice in society than regular people, so more people will listen to them. This Type of life that the priest live would be considered the mixed life or the life of someone high in society. For priest to be able to earn their name they may have to spend some time in monistaries also to achieve full potential by(doc b) giving themselves contemplative exercises,
Since warfare and disease made life unbearable, everyone from the common serfs to the prosperous king looked to Church for direction on the key to a happy afterlife (Document 9). People paid heavy taxes/gifts and devotion to guaranteed themselves in themselves a place in the Church since their births (Document 9). This showed how they had much power over all the other classes in medieval society, especially when the Truce of God was proclaimed to control knights from committing felonies on holy days (Document 4 and
To begin with, religion and the church was an extremely important factor in people's lives in the middle ages. For example, the text states, “...he
Monasticism was a way of life for those who thought everyday life too sinful, and decided to devote themselves to God, either communally in the monastery or lavriote, a life of solitude. St Benedict around five hundred and forty AD set down rules which were to become the basis for monastic life in the Catholic church; poverty, obedience, chastity, and work. In these monasteries theology was preserved. A different form of monasticism developed in Ireland due to the fact it was isolated from the rest of Europe. Monks were more like the hermits of Egypt rather those of Roman Christianity. Scholarship developed in these monasteries, also a new form of art called Hiberno-Saxon. These monasteries kept literacy skills alive. Monks would transcribe and decorate sacred texts by hand. Such texts include the Book of Kells and the Lindisfaire
When thinking about a medieval monastery the first thing that comes to mind is the origin of the word monastery which comes from the Greek monos, meaning alone. Monasticism in itself is a way of life that is devoted to God in seclusion. A large part of monasticism is isolation, not only from the neighbors but from family. When taking the vows to be a monk one not only completely devotes ones life to God but all friends, family and earthly possessions are left behind. Taking the vows of monasticism takes brutal dedication and severe strength. What pushed Guibert of Nogent into monasticism is that his mother withdrew from the world after his father’s death. During that time he was left alone and
The coasts of the British isles are now dotted with monasteries, not yet rich by the standards of medieval monasticism but with sufficient
It also gave some indication of the wealth and prosperity of the monastery and, inside, would probably commemorate patrons who provided sustained support to the community. The most precious human remains in a monastic church were the relics of saints preserved in shrines behind the high altar. The Church became a center for learning, with the monks becoming cultural carriers transmitting the written treasures of the past by preserving and copying ancient texts. An example of this would be Hrotsvit. Hrotsvit wrote books about Christian legends and wrote Roman dramas with an Christian spin to it. Often, the only literate members of society were the monks/priest. It was the monks who made and transmitted written copies of the Bible and other ancient works from generation to generation. They organized some of the first libraries. They conducted scientific and other research to benefit the surrounding communities. They were expert farmers who were able to pass on the benefits of their expertise to peasants on the large manors. Monasticism has played a vital role in the creation, preservation, and transmission of culture. This is especially true of the Christian Monasticism during the Middle Ages.
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
Monasticism or monarchism is literally the act of "dwelling alone". The Rule of St Benedict played an important role in Europe during the middle ages, monks were able to preserve many classical works from both the Romans and the Greeks while acting as copiers that produced books, they were the most pious of the church and acted as a model for the average person to strive for. It dignified manual labor, the rule acted as a written constitution and rule of law for most monasteries, policies could be seen as harsh by some but the overall message is built around a positive spirit of reconciliation. The Rule of St. Benedict most significant role for the development of European civilization was education.
1000, Wood’s description of the peasants was well done; the reader will get as accurate a picture of the peasants and their life style. Also, the role of the church is clear and its function in making life a little bit easier to live. Religion meant a lot in the middle ages, especially Christianity. Their devotion to this religion helped