Unit 11 The Mediaeval Church Part 2
Science and education in the Middle Ages
In the west Latin remained the official language mainly used by the church. The Latin translation by
Saint Jerome (347-420) the so called Vulgata was in use, but by the 9th century its language had
corrupted a lot.
In the court of Charles the Great a new translation and corrections were made, the Cluny reform
movement and monasticism also contributed to the intellectual life of the church.
Moreover, more and more of the antique culture became familiar to intellectuals in Europe, so
learning and sciences were given impetus.
The ideas of Aristotle had probably the greatest impact on mediaeval thinking. Based on his ideas, a
new Christian philosophy was created, called scholasticism. The main idea of it was to prove
principles of belief in a scientific way, to reconcile belief with science though some people thought it
was impossible.
The key figure of scholasticism was Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
He was a Dominican monk living in Paris, he was a theologian. He divided the science dealing
with the transcendental, belief, dogmas, etc. from the science dealing with nature. He called the f
ormer one theology, the basis of which was belief, whereas the basis of science was logic. In
disputed question he gave priority to theology.
With this he protected science from attacks based on religion, so he secured the development of
other sciences, but he was attacked on several grounds for his views.
Mediaeval Universities
They came in to being as a response to the need to have intellectual, educated people in state
administrations. The first universities were established in the 12th century, in Western Europe, but
they were followed by Central European ones as well. (Oxford, Cambridge, Sorbonne in Paris,
Bologna, Padua, Prague, Vienna, Krakow, Pécs)
Permission to establish a university was always given by the Pope, as they were religious institutions.
They had autonomy, and they were led by rectors elected by the teachers. They had their own justice
and teachers and students were all citizens of universities.
The language of instruction was Latin, the ‘lingua franca’ of the Middle Ages, which also contributed
to the intellectual unity of mediaeval Europe.
Universities had four faculties led by deans: the seven liberal arts, theology, medicine and law. The
first level was the seven liberal arts, which gave a master title, the second level gave a doctoral title.
The seven liberal arts consisted of two levels: trivium and quadrivium
Trivium:
● grammar: Latin grammar and reading and translating ancient authors
● rethorics: the art of making a speech in Latin
● dialectics: the art disputing and reasoning
Quadrivium:
● arithmetics: maths (algebra)
● geometry
● astronomy: studying the stars, figuring out the date of church holidays, geography
● music: mostly church music
Architectural styles of the middle Ages
The Romanesque style developed in Western and Central Europe in the 11-12th centuries. It is
named after the Roman tradition.
The Romanesque architecture, following the Roman model, is based on the semi-circular barrel vault.
Churches and castles were characterized by thick walls and small loophole windows. The structure of
churches followed the Roman basilicas: a central prominent nave in the centre, with two lower side a
isles (cross-shape)
From the end of the 12th century a new style appeared: Gothic. The name was born during the next
stylistic trend, the Renaissance, which saw the Middle Ages as a barbarian period compared to
antiquity, and in Italy, barbarism was identified with the Goths.
In Gothic buildings, the weight of the slab and roof was no longer held by the entire wall surface, but
only the pillars and the flying buttresses that supported them from outside. In this way, large windows
could be opened in the walls. Barrel vaults were replaced by groin vaults. On the façade, the rose
window, inherited from the Romanesque style, was favoured, with a circular surface divided by stone
lintels. The surface of the buildings was decorated and coloured with carvings. Large windows were
fitted with coloured stained glass (small pieces of glass of different colours held together by a lead
frame), which in the sunlight, created wonderful ‘heavenly’ colour effects. The Gothic buildings were
decorated with light, graceful sculptures.
Romanesque vs. Gothic Architecture
Romanesque Gothic
Radiating chapels and
Separate compartments. Unified, unbroken space.
apse:
Mostly barrel-vaults, some
Vault: Groin-vaulted cathedrals.
groin-vaults.
Arch type: Rounded arches. Pointed arches.
Main vault support: Thick walls, buttresses. Exterior flying buttresses.
Large stained-glass
Clerestory: Small windows.
windows.
Elevation: Horizontal, modest height. Vertical, soaring.
Plain, little decoration, Ornate, delicate, lots of
Exterior:
solid. sculpture.
Thin, elongated, abstract More realistic proportions
Sculptural decoration:
figures. and individualized features.
Mood: Dark, gloomy. Tall, light-filled.
St. Sernin, Toulouse,
Example: Chartres Cathedral, France.
France.
