Charlemagne

        Charles the Great, also known as Charlemagne, was crowned emperor of the Roman Empire by Pope Leo III. Charlemagne reigned during the Middle Ages, also called the Dark Ages because people lived isolated and had no contacts outside the boundaries of their countries. However, the Emperor had many contacts outside his empire. During the Dark Ages, there were many conflicts between the people in the Islamic and Christian territories. Muslims live until today in the Middle East where many of the sacred places for Christianity are located. Christian kings and emperors tried to recover the Christian places many times during the Middle Ages, and this was the cause for the Crusades. During the Charlemagne government, no Crusades took place and peace reigned in the Roman and Islamic empires. Charlemagne built excellent relationships with the rulers of the Islamic kingdoms. He sent an embassy to the Middle East to beg protection for the Christian sacred places, and he received an elephant from the Middle East as a gesture of friendship. He also received from a pair of Palestinian Monks the keys to the church of the Holy Sepulcher. An act that made him become the guarder of the holiest shrines of Christianity.
        Charlemagne wanted to build an Empire that fused the style of Rome with the nascent Christian style. He built many monasteries, churches, and chapels. The idea of the monastery developed during this time. Monasteries became centers of the medieval life. They were not only places for worship, learning, and meditation for the monks and the community. They also served as hospitals, centers of law for religious and civil courts, and shelters for the travelers and even residents in case of invasion. Knowledge and Art flourished in the Roman Empire. The emperor could not be behind all the majesty of the empire he was creating. At Aachen, Charlemagne built his palace with a chapel in it. Chapels are also places of worship that are still used by Christians. The following is a video that was recorded at the Saint Thomas University Chapel.