Biographical Sketch
| Geometry, Goth Guggenheim Home |
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| Vocabulary |
| middle ages - the time in European history between classical antiquity and in Italian Renaissance (from the late 5th century A.D. to about 1350) |
| monk - a man who has withdrawn from the world for religious reasons |
| 12th century - years from 1101 to 1200 |
| crusade - any of the military expeditions undertaken by Christian powers in the 11th, 12th, and 12th centuries to win the Holy Land from the Muslims |
The Wells Cathedral began in 1180. The building on the west front of the cathedral began in 1230 - 1260. Dedicated in 1239 it did not get recognized as a cathedral until 1244. Building continued in 1293 - 1310 on the Chapter house. From 1310 - 1319 the Lady Chapel construction began and from 1315 - 1322 work on the central tower started. The Northwest Tower was constructed between 1425 - 1435. This coincides with the Middle Ages and represents the Gothic style. The church was a center of daily life and had a lot to do with the economics of the town the cathedral was located in. They were also a center of learning. Most of the monks spent many the hours writing and copying books that contained the wisdom of ancient times.
Times were tough during the this period in history. The peasants were the ones who farmed. The peasants gave the lord almost all the food they grew for letting them use the land. Most people in the Middle Ages didn't take baths or clean their clothing very often. There was garbage on the street and rats ate the garbage. The rats carried fleas that caused a disease, across Europe called the bubonic plague. It killed millions of people. Black spots appeared on people's bodies. Since the spots were black, it was called black death.
The Crusades took place during the Middle Ages at the time when Wells was being built The Crusaders made nine majors trips to the Holy land during the 11th - 13th centuries. The first crusade was 1095 - 1099. In March 1095 Byzantine emperor Alexius I called for help defending his empire against the Seljuk Turks. In that year Pope Urban II called all the Christians to join the war against the Turks. The church played a big part in peoples lives. Everyone went to church on Sundays and other holy days. On holy days people sang, ate,and played games. The church provided guidance and teaching. It also provided beautiful architecture. Cathedrals like the Wells Cathedral with its stained glass windows, statues and Gothic design showed the importance the church played in the Middle Ages.
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