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How to Get to Heaven. 1066–1500. This icon indicates the slide contains activities created in Flash. These activities are not editable. For more detailed instructions, see the Getting Started presentation. Learning objectives. This presentation covers:
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How to Get to Heaven 1066–1500 This icon indicates the slide contains activities created in Flash. These activities are not editable. For more detailed instructions, see the Getting Started presentation.
Learning objectives This presentation covers: • Why the Church was so important in people's lives. • How the Church was organized. • How people were told they could avoid hell and go to heaven.
Imagine…. The image you saw on the previous slide is based on a real medieval image. There were many like it; they were called doom paintings. In the medieval times there was a group of people who could not only make a big impact in your everyday life, they almost certainly made a big impact on how you viewed the next life! The Church was more than just a group of parish priests, monks and nuns. It was the biggest organization in the world!
Churches A large number of churches still survive from the medieval period, even in areas which were deserted after the Black Death. What does this tell you about the importance of churches? Why do so many churches survive, yet so few houses survive? (Think about building materials).
Inside the church Few people understood Latin, so Bible stories were often painted inside the church.
The importance of the parish church The parish church was the centre of village life. People went there nearly every day. Villagers went there to pick up news. Markets, festivals and games were held here. People had lessons with the priest. Criminals could seek sanctuary in a church. People believed strongly in heaven and hell. They hoped that by going to church they’d get to heaven. The things going on in and around the church often entertained and amused people as villagers’ lives could be quite dull! How is this similar or different from today?
The parish priest Many were unable to read or write – they learnt the Latin services off by heart. Very poor. Spent a lot of time working in the fields like the villagers. The land they farmed was called the ‘glebe’. Villagers had to give a tenth of what they produced to the Church. This was called a tithe. Most of this was taken by the church official; the priest got very little.
Was the parish priest important? The priest had an important role in the village. He gave the Sunday services, heard confessions, gave penances, visited the sick and gave shelter, clothing and food to the poor. He was also expected to keep the church in good repair. The priest also performed the three most important ceremonies of a villager’s life: Christening Marriage Burial
How was the Church structured? Representative of God on Earth. Based in Rome. Pope. Often rich and powerful and owned a lot of land. King’s advisers. Archbishops and bishops. Parish priests. Very poor and did most of the hard work. Remember, most of Europe was Christian in the Middle Ages – it was even called Christendom.
Getting to heaven People believed that most people went to purgatory when they died. Purgatory was not as bad as hell, but not as good as heaven. To move up into heaven you needed to be sorry for your sins and get people to pray for you. Rich people set up colleges where the priests did nothing other than pray for their soul. Extract from a medieval will: “To the Rood Loft 6s7d, to the bells 12d, to the torches 12d. I will that 30 masses be said for my soul and all Christian souls after my death” Another way to get to heaven was to go on a pilgrimage! Why do you think this person left so much money to the Church? Why did they want people to pray for them after they had died?
What are pilgrimages? Pilgrimages are journeys to sacred places. People still undertake pilgrimages today. In medieval times, people tried to make at least one pilgrimage during their lives. It was an act of devotion and they hoped it would give them a better chance of getting into heaven. People who were very ill went on pilgrimages. They hoped that by doing so they would be cured of their disease. The holiest place of all was the Holy Land where Jesus had lived. After that came Rome, where the pope lived.
What did people do at pilgrimage sites? Most pilgrimage sites were churches which contained either a tomb or a box holding something which belonged to the saint. People covered these shrines with offerings given in thanks, and often bought badges like those below to show which shrines they had visited. Offerings list from the shrine of Thomas Cantilupe, 29 August 1307: 129 silver images of various human limbs 436 wax images of men 1,200 wax images of human limbs 108 walking sticks Images of limbs were used to show the body part which needed curing. Why do you think there were so many more wax ones than silver ones?
Imagine you are a priest in the Middle Ages. • Why might you send the two people below on a pilgrimage? • Would you send them on a pilgrimage in England or abroad and why? • What offering would you suggest they give? Sarah Tyler – a peasant women. She is very poor, but goes to church regularly. She has recently broken her leg but it has not set properly. Sir Thomas Lord – the youngest son of a local landowner who has a large estate. He has not been going to church regularly and spends too much time in the local tavern with young ladies.
