From the Sacredness of Nature to that of Man. The Transformation of Religiosity during the Middle Ages

Abstract

This article focuses on the process of transformation of Christian religiosity during the Middle Ages between the 11th and 15th centuries. It shows how religiosity, ancestrally linked to the value of the earth and the cycles of light, begins to change as mankind manages to obtain other means of subsistence centred on the valuation of his own human capacity. Demographic, economic, political and social changes play a central role, and religiosity moves in step with these factors. The autonomy from feudal lords, the rise of free cities, craft production and trade have a significant influence on religious understanding and expression that focuses on human capabilities and the value of freedom. The article attempts to enable the reader to understand the movement and the main components of this process through some examples taken from different geographical areas. Medieval culture, and thus religiosity, will continue its path of transformation. The unresolved needs and tensions of the period which are expressed through the idea of Church reform, place us in the prelude to the emergence of the confessions in the 16th century, where they find new channels of expression.