Popular Religion in the High Middle Ages
The Catholic Church has 7 sacraments which are used to make sure that the people keep up with the church for their lives. These seven sacraments are: the Eucharist, baptism, marriage, penance, extreme unction, holy orders, and confirmation. Only clergymen could give the sacraments to someone. These sacraments were looked upon as God's grace to people, and they were essential to salvation. This meant that the clergy played a big role in salvation.
The Importance of Saints
Saints were very popular to the church at this time. Saints could perform miracles, and they got a special place when they got to heaven. They were able to protect the souls of those who were poor. Perhaps the most popular Saints were the apostles of Jesus, but there were many Saints important to just local areas. St. Nicholas was introduced in England as a Saint for children, especially around Christmas time. The most important Saint was St. Mary, the mother of Jesus. Because she bore Jesus, and was a mediator for him, she was considered very special. She even had churches and cathedrals dedicated to her, such as Notre Dame.
The Use of Relics
Many times, the Saints could also be seen in relics, which were their bones or articles of clothing. Many churches and monasteries claimed to have relics because they would also get more pilgrims to come through. Often times, the church would put indulgences along with relics, so that people could buy themselves out of years in purgatory. People could get indulgences by doing good deeds, and also viewing relics. The church would also determine the worth (in years) of the indulgences.
The Pilgrimage
Pilgrimages were often made to benefit people spiritually. Jerusalem was considered the greatest city to take a pilgrimage to. Rome was also of importance because it had the relics of St. Peter and St. Paul, and Santiago de Compostela was where James was buried. Many places also had local shrines dedicated to St. Mary to which pilgrimages were made.