TRADITIONAL RELIGIOUS SOCIETY– the spiritual atmosphere of medieval cathedrals and churches helped inspire and reinforce religious thinking and behaviour

Medieval cathedrals and churches in a traditional religious society

Imagine that you were an illiterate peasant coming from your mud hut with no windows into a medieval cathedral – the house of God. What would the size, beauty and majesty, and the sung Gregorian chant of that place say to you about God and religion?

The cathedrals and churches were symbolic of the overwhelming dominance of cultural religious meanings that regulated the lives of people in these times. Some people today still live with this same sense of dominant religious cultural meanings. For others. Even if they retain nominal religious affiliation, there is not the same prominence of cultural religious meanings in the way they live out their lives.

Video of some English medieval cathedrals from the air

Durham cathedral UK, from 12th century

Some pictures or English & European Cathedrals at ground level

York cathedral, UK, from 11th century (Constantine was here in 306 when he became Roman emperor on the death of his father Constantius)

Lincoln cathedral, UK, 11th century

Religious stories in stained glass – the first medieval ‘powerpoints’ for a mainly illiterate people!

Bath Abbey, UK, 15th century on site of church from 10th century

Bayeux cathedral, Normandy France, 11th and 12th century

Bayeux cathedral, Normandy

Cologne cathedral, Germany, built 13th century with additions to 18th century

Regentsburg cathedral, Germany, mainly 14th century, dating back to 6th century

Melk Abbey, Austria, 18th century

Church adorned with gold leaf,, Melk Abbey, Austria

The Duomo, Siena, Italy. From 13th century

The Duomo, Siena Italy, from 13th century

St Peters, Rome, 16th century

Hagia Sophia, 6th century, Constantinople (Istanbul)

Some think that in Westernised, consumer oriented, market governed societies, a new sort of cathedral has emerged