Analysis Monastery In Medieval Western European Social And Cultural Role

Characteristics of western societies were wars, political separations, economical recessions and cultural backwardnesses in the early period of 5th-12th century in the Middle Age. After the classical civilization ended up, Christian churches filled out the cultural blank in order to dominate the social ideology in politics, economy and culture, as well as forming the Christian Culture. The center of the Christian culture originated from monasteries. Monasteries had their own religious institutions and systems. They played an important role that other organizations could not do. Monastic schools were one example. Monastic schools educated cultural groups-clergymen and monks for western feudal societies in the early period of the Middle Age. Those clergymen and monks dominated the mainstream social culture so monasteries naturally became the center of early western societies.Meeting the need of social Christianization and the Christian culture as well as of themselves, monasteries gradually became the main social cultural institutions in western societies in the Middle Age. Set up examples by Church Fathers, monasteries preserved their cultural tradition and provided theoretical references. In the support of Frank kings especially Charlemagne, monasteries dominated in the social culture. Whether in peace or in war times, the monasteries spread the culture and kept Latin classics by monastic schools and copy writing rooms. More important, contributions of monks in the Christian philosophy, history, philology and architecture enhanced the status of monasteries in the social culture. The western societies made a great change in the 12* century, therefore the social culture also got development. Based on it, a new cultural institution- university appeared. Universities developed in the basis of the monastic schools and became the social cultural centers by replacing monastic schools as last.My thesis includes preface, main part and conclusion three parts. Part one briefly introduces concepts and bases of choosing this topic. Part two is divided into three chapters: chapter one discusses monasteries in the Middle Age; chapter two explains the cultural tradition of monasteries;chapter three explores functions of monasteries. The conclusion states that monasteries not only played important roles in politics, economy and cultural, but also had many cultural functions in the Middle Age. More important, they were cultural centers of that time.