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Medieval Life and Architecture

The document discusses life in the Middle Ages, focusing on the structure of medieval society, monastic life, and the daily routines of monks. It also covers the impact of the Bubonic Plague, the architecture of monasteries, and the process of becoming a knight, including the concepts of chivalry and heraldry. Additionally, it highlights the significance of castles and the role of art in medieval architecture.

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alison.jefferson
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21 views17 pages

Medieval Life and Architecture

The document discusses life in the Middle Ages, focusing on the structure of medieval society, monastic life, and the daily routines of monks. It also covers the impact of the Bubonic Plague, the architecture of monasteries, and the process of becoming a knight, including the concepts of chivalry and heraldry. Additionally, it highlights the significance of castles and the role of art in medieval architecture.

Uploaded by

alison.jefferson
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Medieval

Culture and
Architecture
Life in the Middle Ages
• Most people in medieval society lived in
villages, there were few large towns.
• The majority of people were peasants, who
worked on the land.
• There were a range of jobs and trades in
towns and villages, some quite similar to
those people might have today.
• All people lived within the hierarchy of
medieval society known as the feudal
system.
Monastic Life in the Middle Ages
Medieval Monks chose to renounce all worldly life and goods and spend their
lives working under the strict routine and discipline of life in a monastery.
Three main vows:
 Vow of Poverty
 Vow of Chastity
 Vow of Obedience
Ora et Labora
The daily life of Medieval monks was dedicated to worship, reading, and manual labor. In addition to
their attendance at church, the monks spent several hours in reading from the Bible, private prayer,
and meditation. During the day the Medieval monks worked hard in the Monastery and on its lands.
The life of medieval monks were filled with the work and chores:
 Washing and cooking for the monastery
 Raising the necessary supplies of vegetables and grain
 Reaping, Sowing, Ploughing, Binding and Thatching, Haymaking and Threshing
 Producing wine, ale and honey
 Providing medical care for the community
 Providing education for boys and novices
 Copying the manuscripts of classical authors
 Providing hospitality for pilgrims
Daily Routine in a Monastery
The daily life of a Medieval monk during the Medieval times of the Middle Ages centered around the
hours. The Book of Hours was the main prayer book and was divided into eight sections, or hours, that
were meant to be read at specific times of the day. These were the times specified for the recitation of
divine office which was the term used to describe the cycle of daily devotions. The times of these prayers
were called by the following names:
Matins 2:00 am the night office; the service recited in the divine office
Lauds 5:00 am the first of the Little Hours, early morning service of divine office
Prime 6:00 am main Mass
Terce 9:00 am the second of the Little Hours, recited at the third hour
Sext 12:00 pm the third of the Little Hours, recited at the sixth hour
Nones 3:00 pm the fourth of the Little Hours, recited at the ninth hour
Vespers 4:00 pm the evening service of divine office, recited before dark (4 - 5pm)
Compline 6:00 pm the last of the day services of divine office, recited before retiring
Architecture of Monasteries

Monasteries were
built for prayer
and work. Having
a water source
was crucial, as
was having good
land for growing
crops.
Cluny
Abbey,
France
Bubonic Plague
 Also known as “The Black Death,” it
was a bacterial infection thought to
be spread by rats. We know now the
rats were the carriers and that the
disease was actually spread by the
fleas that had bitten the rats.
 There were 3 major outbreaks, the
worst in the 14th century. The plague
killed 25 million people, roughly 1/3 of
the European population.
Symptoms included:
Vomiting, headaches, dizziness,
intolerance to light, pain in back and
Carved ceilings in
Medieval times

Decorated buildings were


not only for art. They
provided imagery of life
at the time. Gargoyles
and the grotesque figures
were common in the
Middle Ages to caution
people from evil and
St Jerome Writing by Caravaggio
Life inside a castle
Medieval Castles
Does anyone know what castle the
Disney castle is based off of?
Built by King Louis
II, aka “Mad King
Ludwig.”
Construction began
in 1868 but the
interior was never
completed.
Neuschwanstein Castle in Fussen,
Germany
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Neuschwanstein-Castle/
images-videos
Becoming a Knight
Who could become a knight?
There were two ways that a man could become a knight during the Middle Ages.
1. Fighting bravely on the battlefield
2. Becoming an apprentice to a knight and earning the title through hard work and
training.

 Only a few young men could afford to become a knight. It required


buying weapons, armor, and a war horse. This is why most knights came
from families of nobility.
The Steps to becoming a Knight
Page (age 7-10)
A young boy who wanted to become a knight would go to live in the
household of a knight and serve the knight as a page. The page would
serve the knight, practice fighting with wooden weapons, and learn
horsemanship.

Squire (age 15-20)


If a page showed promise, he could become a squire. A squire would take
care of the horses, practice fighting with real weapons, learn jousting, and
study siege warfare.

The word “squire” comes from the Latin scutire, which


means “bearer of shield.”
Chivalry and
Heraldry
The literal meaning of
Chivalry is horse soldier, or
the man that could afford the
horse.
It comes from the French word
“chevalerie”, itself derived
from “chevalier”, which
means knight, derived from
“cheval”, horse.

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