Religion and the clergy
clergy
Religious people of the Middle Ages
Bishop
Generally lived with the same luxuries as the nobles.
They wore lavish religious garments that often were jeweled
Administere to the needs of priests.
Priests
They were not as wealthy as the bishop.
They were generally the head of the church.
Often wore long black gowns
They administere sacraments, oversee the manor, absolve men and women of their sins through confession, and make pronouncements to the community that were given by the bishop.
Monks
Were often scholarly and could read and write in Latin.
They wore brown gowns tied with a rope around the waist.
Monks were clean-shaven;shaved a bald spot on the top of their head called a “tonsure” as a symbol of humility.
Monks lived in monasteries and copied the books of the Bible by hand.
Nuns
very holy women who lived in a convent. Some nuns wore a cross on a chain around their neck.
They wore long gowns of black, grey or white. Over the tunic was a scapular, which was a piece of cloth with an opening for their head.
their heads were shaved and covered by a cloth covering called a wimple.
very devout and served the people
widows and young girls went to convents for protection and a secure life
The Church
All classes and ranks of people were affected by the rulings of the church.
The pope, as head of the church, had a lot of influence over the king and total control of the clergy.
People were heavily taxed to support the church and Children were taught basic prayers and to go to church every week.
The Roman Catholic Church was the single largest unifying organization in medieval Europe.