Christianity and Medieval Society

Flashcards about Christianity and Medieval Society

Clergy

Church officials and their teachings were very influential in medieval European culture and politics.

Pilgrimages

Journeys to holy sites in Jerusalem, Rome, Compostela, and Canterbury.

Cluny

A town in which a group of French monks started a monastery in the early 900s

Religious order

A group of people who dedicate their lives to religion and follow common rules.

Convents

Communities of nuns that appeared across Europe.

Friars

People who belonged to religious orders but lived and worked among the general public.

Mendicants

Another name for Friars, derived from a Latin word for beggars.

Gothic architecture

A dramatic new style used to build cathedrals beginning in the 1100s.

Buttresses

Supports for Gothic churches to enable taller structures and large windows.

Universities

Some of the earliest universities were created by the church; schools taught law, medicine, astronomy, and other courses.

Natural law

Aquinas' belief that God had created a law that governed how the world operated.

Dominicans

A religious order, founded in the early 1200s, whose members were friars.

Franciscans

A religious order, founded in the early 1200s, whose members were friars.

Thomas Aquinas

A Dominican philosopher and teacher, argued that rational thought could be used to support Christian beliefs.

Stained Glass

Walls with huge windows of stained glass allowing sunlight to pour in.