In the Middle Ages, Christianity had a great influence on the people of the time. As Christians, people had many spiritual goals and truths to recognize, including attaining the Kingdom of Heaven and praising Jesus as the one and only king. In order to enter heaven, they believed it was important to know the teachings of Jesus and pray to God. Furthermore, they thought that following the teachings of Christ and applying them to their daily lives would help them achieve these goals and learn these truths. Based on these actions, artists and thinkers shaped their art and politics to fit these roles. The artist who created the Reliquary of St. Foy intended to persuade viewers to pray while the artist who created the doors of St. Michael's Church intended to teach viewers Scripture. In his writings, The City of God, Augustine discusses how Christianity brings about peace in a state, a goal of many medieval thinkers. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Pilgrimages were very important during the Middle Ages. There were many purposes for completing a pilgrimage which included obeying a promise made, making amends, and most importantly, deepening one's faith. Being closer to God in this life meant being closer to Him in the next. Many Christians traveled great distances to gather and pray. Pilgrims traveled to biblical sites such as Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem; however, Christians found themselves unable to travel safely to the Holy Land due to the onset of the Crusades. As a result, medievals began creating shrines and churches so they could make pilgrimages to the safety of Europe. A famous shrine was the relic of Saint Foy located in the church of Saint Foy in Conques, France. The relic is dedicated to Saint Foy, an influential religious figure known for her refusal to sacrifice to pagan gods. Saint Foy was and still is an excellent example of how Christians should follow their faith. As Jesus said to the Apostles “you will be hated by all because of me, but whoever remains with me to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22). Pilgrims prayed to Saint Foy for strength to follow their faith. The relic was useful in narrowing the focus of people's prayers on this goal of Christianity. Interestingly, the statue does not resemble the young girl that Saint Foy was. This is because the statue was originally a Roman sculpture. The practice of taking ancient Roman art and transforming it into a medieval style was very common; pieces made in this way are known as spolia. The Spolia were created to establish a slight connection with the Roman Empire; however, this was seen as a feeble attempt to imitate the Romans and was given the derogatory term “Romanesque”. Furthermore, the statue is very eye-catching; it is studded with gold and jewels. The question arose whether or not the statue functioned as a link to prayer due to its extreme nature. The conspicuous appearance of the Relic of Sainte Foy was not an isolated case. Many people were very concerned that the relics were on the border between a means of worship and idolatry. St. Bernard asked, “What does this gold in the sanctuary mean?” It was hard for some to believe that pilgrims migrated there only to pray and not gawk at the glittering statues. Saint Bernard exclaimed that the fanciful relics only distracted the faithful from their prayers which are the exact opposite of what they should be doing. Saint Bernard furthered his thesis by stating that the relics were comingused to generate tourist revenue for churches rather than to provide a religious experience for pilgrims. While education was not entirely obsolete in the Middle Ages, it was typically centered among monasteries and not among common people. . Because of this, many people did not have access to the Bible. Artists used it as an opportunity to create art that made Scripture more available to the public. Some of these pieces depicted biblical stories; this was very useful for teaching Christianity to uneducated people. Saint Gregory the Great, in his letter to Bishop Serenus of Marseilles, stated that "what Scripture is for the educated, images are for the ignorant". In a society devoted to Christianity, it was essential to spread the word of God in every way possible. These works lead to a much broader understanding of Christian doctrine which improved people's spirituality. An example of art used for teaching is the bronze doors of the church of San Michele. The Old Testament stories are told in descending order on the left side and the New Testament in ascending order on the right side; this represents the fall and rise of man respectively. Each panel is paired with its opposite counterpart. For example, Eve tempting Adam is paired with the Crucifixion; sin is repaid with salvation. The doors can lead to a general understanding of how God saves humanity through Jesus Christ, an essential theological concept for Christianity. In addition to art, politics during the Middle Ages was largely influenced by Christianity. Most thinkers of the time sought to create peace within their society. Peace has an important connection to Christianity because it is “the peace of God that transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). St. Augustine discusses the great impact Christianity had on the Roman Empire in The City of God. While most of his contemporaries believed that Christianity ruined Rome, Augustine argued that Rome's fall was due to its immoral actions. Augustine's purpose in writing The City of God was to give Christians a reason why God had allowed a pagan empire to prosper for so long. According to Augustine, Rome had its state set up to succeed, although it was imperfect. Christian doctrine says that the only way to find pure happiness is to love God above all else, even above yourself. Rather than turning inward, the Roman people focused on their love for a higher power: the glory of Rome. The imperfection was the lack of God, but God allowed the continuation of their empire because they turned their attention outward; The Romans had the right idea to dedicate all their work to something greater than themselves, even if it was not God. The Romans believed that everyone did their part in glorifying Rome because "order is the distribution that assigns things equal and unequal, each in its place" (Augustine, page 4). The system described was Augustine's way of creating peace in society; everyone had to do their part in glorifying God. Augustine also explains how Christianity demonstrates that politics is not desirable. Politics creates a false virtue. The politics of justice only aims to prevent people from doing bad things, but does not push them to do good and noble things. Augustine reflects on this idea of ​​politics by asking “what is its occupation but to wage perpetual war with the vices” (Augustine, page 2)? Earthly cities can never be just. Christianity offers a solution to this: a state will find peace, a great goal for Christians if it follows the virtues of God. Some solutions to the problems of earthly cities can.