The Roman Catholic Church

The onslaught of death and destruction from war and disease in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries fostered the need for a more personal spiritual guidance. The Roman Catholic Church, facing internal divisions and fiscal abuse, more often than not left its practitioners spiritually destitute and unfulfilled. Its remoteness alone from the day to day lives of its followers, was enough to perpetuate unsatisfaction which was temporairly pacified by the lavish attractions of artistic new cathedrals. …

…the Renaissance and sought to build large cathedrals to "strengthen the devotion of all Christian people". Their attempts seemed to be working as the Papacy reestablished itself as a major Italian power before 1500. The Church still remained remote and abusive fiscal practices remained along with corruption on all levels. This did not effect the standing of the church at that time but it laid the groundwork for Religious reformations in the sixteenth century. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**