How Did The Roman Catholic Church Influence Medieval Society

Jesus is a very subjective and controversial topic worldwide. Even though many people have different views and opinions on Jesus, He still unites many Christians together through worship and prayer in church. It’s been this way for quite a while, all the way back to Medieval ages. In those times, the “Age of Faith” was upon western Europe. The church played “a vital role in society” to many people. The Roman Catholic Church influenced Medieval Europe tremendously as seen in acts of devotion, holidays, and the education system. One way the church’s influence is shown through the amazing acts of devotion that Christians participated in to show their love to God, Jesus, and the church. For example, most people went on pilgrimages (trips to holy sites like Jerusalem and Rome). As the textbook says, “a pilgrimage required true dedication because travel was difficult and often dangerous.” This proves that people valued God and the Church greatly and were willing to go to great lengths

In those times, almost every single day was reserved to celebrate Christian saints, an important religious idea, or an event in Jesus’ life. Christian celebrations were much more common in those days than they are now. This proves that the church must have been influential because so much time and energy was dedicated to celebrating special Catholic events. A specific example of the Church’s influence is seen on Christmas. At Christmastime, “people of all social classes” came together for a magnificent feast at the manor of their lord. This showed that, to the lord, celebrations of God and Christianity were more important than the rigid social hierarchy of feudal times. Without these holidays, people of lower social classes may not get the exciting chance to enjoy a great meal at the lord’s table. Everyone got a chance to praise God through feasts and fun at the holiday