Meet the Middle Ages
BackMedieval pictures
The Middle Ages was one of the most colourful ages ever and pictures and paintings played a great part in people ´s lives. Since the Christian faith was a natural part of people ´s lives ,the pictures and paintings were mainly religious.
Most paintings were murals on the walls and ceilings inside the church. They were there for all to see, since everyone went to church at least once a week. Ordinary people could not always understand the sermon, so it was nice to be able to look at pictures of the saints and of the stories from the Bible.
The murals did not only depict biblical scenes. Today, we can learn a lot about medieval life from these pictures, since the artists would use their contemporaries as their models. We can see how people lived, worked and dressed in those days. In the churches there were sculptures as well, wooden figures of Jesus, the Apostles, or the saints. The sculptures were often richly decorated and colourful.
The noblemen in their castles and manor houses also liked to have their homes decorated with paintings. They liked to have wreaths of flowers painted around the doors or windows. Other examples of medieval art are the coats-of-arms of the noblemen.Every noble family had its own coat-of-arm.