Answer:1.The church, both the physical church and the institution itself, had a very active influence in the life of the people. Many leaders of the church were major players in medieval politics. As mentioned before, at one time the Archbishop of Canterbury was also the Chancellor of England. This is just one example of a case in which a bishop or other church leader gained immense political clout. The church also had a large influence over the people. Because the church derived its power from God, the people of the time were more inclined to follow its laws. If a person broke a church law, then he could suffer from a punishment or even expulsion from the church, almost guaranteeing a long walk to hell. Because of this, the church, before the advent of the renaissance, was the only universal European institution. The church was also a source of entertainment as well as punishment. There were many festivals held to observe various church holidays. The people were expected to pay many "taxes" to the church, except they were called tithes. These taxes were enforced by the manorial court. Most often the taxes were not paid with money, but with goods. For example, in some places in England, the second best animal of any serf who died was given to the priest for his use. Every tenth egg, sheaf of wheat, lamb, chicken, and all other animals were given to the church as a tithe. In addition to taxing, the church also had a sort of welfare system. It gave "alms" to the poor, helping them to survive in tough times. The Church also had many shortcomings. A parish priest often paid a substitute priest, known as a vicar, to preach in his stead. This vicar was occasionally corrupt. For example, there are stories of vicars using the church building as a threshing barn for hay, or for grazing cattle on the church lawn.
The Building:
The church building was an impressive site sitting among the hovels and shacks. It was often the only stone building in the village. The stone was taken from local quarries or from old, broken-down stone buildings or ruins. The church was made entirely with peasant contributions of money and work. The physical church was a monument to the civic pride that villagers held for their often self reliant community. Even though they were already working seven days a week, the peasants still gave much of their time to help with the construction of a parish church. As said before, the church was made mostly of stone. It had a roof of slate or wooden shingles, supported with wooden crossbeams. It also had many stained glass windows when the villagers could afford them. The windows were shaped in the form of a lancet. This means they were shaped to a point. Often, different Bible stories were pictorially shown in the windows. This was often the only way villagers could learn about the Bible, because most couldn't read English, let alone the Latin all the Bibles were written in. The Mass was also said in Latin. This was hard on the villagers because they couldn't understand what was going on during the Mass. Despite this, most villagers attended church regularly on the Sabbath. By the fourteenth century, many people began to try to get Bibles written in English so that the common people could discuss the teachings of their God. In addition to lancet windows, most churches also had a crucifix, known as a rood. There were many crosses located throughout the church, as the cross was the symbol of Christianity. In fact, many churches were built in the shape of a cross. In a church the shape of a cross, the upper part would be where the altar would be located. This is where the priest would stand and say Mass. The lower and middle parts would be called the nave. This is where the people sat or stood during Mass. Another characteristic of a church was its bells. The church bells were very important to the people because they worked in the field according to when the bells rang. So, the church bells were essentially an audible clock.
The church was an ever present facet of the average man's life. From baptism, to marriage, and finally to death it supported, structured, and sometimes hurt every single person in the medieval community.
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