Religion in Medieval Life: Blog Question Six

Religion in the Middle Ages was entirely ingrained in everyday life. It is apparent in the literature, the art, and buildings of the medieval period in France that religion was the central governing factor. Because the Catholic Church had such strong control over many of the rulers of medieval Western Europe, politics were religious. For example, leaders in France were expected to ally themselves with the Catholic Church, and only fight in the defense of Christianity. Oftentimes war did not always happen this way, but the expectation from the Church and the oaths sworn were no less real.

The literature from the medieval period is a good indication of the role that religion played in daily life. As evidenced by the play The Miracle of Theophile and Song of Roland, religion played a central role in both entertainment and education. The Miracle of Theophile is a miracle play about how St. Theophile signed his soul away to the devil and then realized his mistake and begged the Virgin Mary to intervene and help him. This play would have been staged on the church steps where the general public might view it. Such a church would include Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, which has a tympanum over the North-facing door, which tells the story of Theophile in pictures.

The Song of Roland is a medieval “chanson de geste,” which means song of exploits, basically, Christian epics. The story follows Roland the nephew of the beloved King Charlemagne through his action packed sagas. The story culminates in his triumphant death in which God sends archangels to carry Roland to heaven for his loyalty to king and Church. This story serves multiple purposes for the medieval audience. Besides gripping entertainment, Song of Roland is infused with religious doctrine. Audiences would be called to engage in the crusade by hearing of Roland’s daring adventures, and most importantly, his salvation.

Literature was just one element of religion in daily life. The church was literally the most important building in most towns. Medieval churches were not built with pews for the general public because they were the bustling center of many towns. Often times the town market place would be held inside the church. The church steps were used for announcements and for the production of plays such as The Miracle of Theophile, which was meant to educate the general public on Christian figures and Biblical stories. Furthermore, church windows and art often depicted biblical stories in an attempt to educate the general public on the Bible, since mass was always given in Latin.

In today’s secular world, it is easy to go through daily life without encountering religion. This is in stark contrast to the lives of people in the Middle Ages. Furthermore, there are so many options in terms of entertainment that themes and subject matter vary greatly. Most Americans today do not buy everything they need in one central location and even when they do shop in markets those markets are rarely contained in a church. In the Middle Ages, the Church was the authority when it came to education. Today, the Catholic education system is still thriving, but it is no longer the only option.