The Middle Ages       (500-1500)

Unlike in the Classical Period where the human being lay on the bases of their civilization, in the Middle Ages God and the church formed the central element of the society. This fact is very important in relation to the Middle Ages.

The Middle Ages began around 500 after Christ. In Europe this was a period of chaos due to the continuous invasions of the barbarian people as well as the migrations that were the direct result of these invasions. During this dark period a lot of the civilization and culture from the Classical Period perished.

The economy of the Middle Ages was based on agriculture and the feudal system. The people were confused, scared and scattered. Therefor they were barely able to develop themselves on a spiritual level. The people had no information regarding natural phenomena or diseases and health. They believed everything was in Gods hands. This primitive civilization, where God was all-power, saw every form of adversity, every disease, every fight, every failed harvest, etc. as direct punishment of God. The difference between wealth and poverty was also explained as Gods will. Therefore everybody reconciled which meant working very hard to maintain themselves and especially the nobility and the church.

The churches and monasteries of course stimulated this idea and emphasized the idea that man had to live a good life on earth to achieve a place in heaven. In the Middle Ages the existence on earth was of inferior importance and common life was aimed at the after life. The fear of the people to end up in hell was so great that it made them very obsequious to their dictators.

The idea of the destruction of the world exited strongly during the early Middle Ages. This believe intensified their fear and brought about a big increase of devotion. In a Vision of John the Baptist, the Apocalypse, a second arrival on earth of Christ is foreseen. This arrival will mean the end of the world and all people will be judged: the Final Judgment. During this final judgment the souls of the people will be weighted. The good will go to heaven and the bad will be banished to hell. In the Middle Ages the people were convinced of the fact that this event would take place exactly 1000 years after the birth of Christ. This year divides the Middle Ages in the Early (500 a.C. - 1000 a.C.) and the Late Middle Ages (1000 a.C. - 1500 a.C.).

 
The influence on Art

The church was the place were the people could not only hear the word of God but they could also see the word of God. The main purpose of the decoration in the churches was to show and learn the people the Christiandoctrine. The greater part of the people could neither read nor write. Therefore the warnings regarding the result of a bad and evil life on earth were reflected above the entrance and in the interior of the church in a striking way. Often a scene of the Last Judgment can be found above the main entrance, the west-portal. This scene reminded the people of what awaited them and stimulated them to live a good and descent life. In many other places of the Romaine (Early Middle Ages) churches the horrifying scenes regarding hell and damnation can be found, which of course had the same effect on the people.

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