The High Middle Ages 1. The renewal began at the monastery of Cluny in the 900s was slowly dislodging the Church from the feudal system, whereby bishops and abbots did the bidding of secular lords and kings. The papacy had suffered mightly from being at the whim of Roman nobles. The pope was hardly an independent spiritual leader at that point. 2. Powerful sorces were reshaping the west creating a European world that would look quite different …showed first 75 words of 1779 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1779 total…rounded arches to hold up stone roofs, replacing the flammable wood-beamed ceilings cinnibly found in earlier churches. Romanesque cathedrals have a more horizontal , solid appearance than do Gothic cathedrals, which, with their tall, slim towers, pointed arches, and tall stained-glass windows appear airy, light, even delicate. A major architectural innovation that enabled the Gothic cathedrals to reach new heights was the use of flying buttressess to balance and support the weight of the tall structures.