Cathedrals of the Middle Ages

Teach your students about the cathedrals of the Middle Ages with this engaging activity.

LESSON GOAL

Students understand the role that cathedrals played in the religious life of people during the Middle Ages. Sections in the reading texts include information on pilgrimages, the architecture of cathedrals, religious art, and relics.

TEXT EXAMPLE

"During the Middle Ages, local churches played a very important role not only in people’s religious, but also their daily lives.  In most places people were actually required to go to church on Sundays by law.  Those who refused could be fined or even imprisoned.  Churches also provided baptism for newborn babies, marriages, and funerals.  Merchants and traders often held markets around churches, paying a fee to do so.

Christians during the Middle Ages were also encouraged to go on pilgrimages – religious journeys – to famous holy places.  Many people travelled as far as the Holy Land to visit Jerusalem – the

place where they believed Jesus had been crucified and then had risen from the dead.  Other popular pilgrimage destinations included Rome – where many early Christian leaders had lived and died – and the Spanish city of Compostela."

PROJECTS

After completing their research, students are asked to create a poster advertising a cathedral and the different attractions it would have for visitors. Project sheets are provided in a variety of different formats for you to pick from.

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS

The file also contains image and crossword sheets as well as information sheets with more details about five of Europe's most famous cathedrals; Chartres, Canterbury, Lincoln, Westminster Abbey, and Durham

Project sheets

Reading sheets

Image sheets

Crossword Puzzles

Cathedral research sheets

Examples of Student Work