How did the Christian Church enhance its power and create new institutions and religious practices?

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Statue of Saint Anne, the Virgin Mary, and the Christ ChildNearly every church had at least one image of the Virgin Mary, the most important figure of Christian devotion in medieval Europe. In this thirteenth-century wooden sculpture, she is shown holding the infant Jesus and is herself sitting on the lap of her mother, Anne. Statues such as this reinforced people’s sense that the heavenly family was much like theirs, with grandparents who sometimes played important roles. (Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence, Italy/Scala/Art Resource, NY)

KKINGS AND EMPERORS were not the only rulers consolidating their power in the eleventh and twelfth centuries; the papacy did as well, although the popes’ efforts were sometimes challenged by medieval kings and emperors. Despite such challenges, monasteries continued to be important places for learning and devotion, and new religious orders were founded. Christianity expanded into Europe’s northern and eastern regions, and Christian rulers expanded their holdings in Muslim Spain.