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This page has been created by Celia Pastor Carbonell from 2nd D.

1. What marks the differences between a civil and a religious building?

The big difference between civil and religious buildings is what they are used for. Civil buildings were used as fortresses, for vigilance and even as residence for important monarchs, kings and nobles. Religious buildings were used for praying and organising masses although in some occasions they were used as militar mercies or weapons arsenals.

2. Make a list of the most important civil buildings and another of the most important religious buildings in the city that you can still see today.


 * __Civil Buildings__**


 * 1) The Ribat.
 * 2) The Muslim Wall.
 * 3) The Christian Wall.
 * 4) The House and Tower of los Lujanes.
 * 5) The Alamillo Square.
 * 6) The Morería District.


 * Religious Buildings**
 * 1) The Church of San Nicolás of Los Servitas.
 * 2) The Basilica of San Miguel of los Octoes.
 * 3) The Parish Church of San Ginés.

Answer the following questions for each of the buildings that you mention on your list.

3. What function did the civil buildings have? What were they used for? 4. What function did the religious buildings have? What were they used for?
 * __Civil Buildings__**

The Ribat was used as fortress and vigilance position from where the Muslims could keep watch the fluvial way of the Manzanares river and in that way protect Toledo. It was also used as Arab monastery used for praying and for the holy war. The Muslim Wall was used to defend the Muslim city (maryt), the mosque, the alcazar and the emir's house. The Christian Wall's purpose was to beautify the new districts which appeared after the reconquest. The House and Tower f los Lujanes has been the residence of several kings and counts like the king Francisco I of France, Diego and Fernando of Lujan, the Count of Castro Ponce, etc. But it has also been used as seat of the Real Academy of Moral and Politic Sciences and of the Real Academy of Exact, Phisic and Natural Science. The Alamillo Square was constructed because the Muslims wanted to settle there the Justice Tribunal, a Town Hall and a building to live. The Morería District: the wall had a defensive aim that would help to complete the watchtover lines which were extended through Somosierra and Guadarrama to notify through smoke and fire signals the Christian raids from the north of the peninsula and in this way protect Toledo, which was the Visigoth capital

__**Religious Buildings**__

The Church of San Ginés of los Servitas II was constructed as a parish, but during the Independence War it was used as weapons arsenal, later as mercy and as essay room for the Real Band. The Basilica of San Miguel of los Octoes was constructed to pray and to worship God. Actually, it is used for masses, confessions and sometimes for communions os weddings. The Parish Church of San Ginés was used to worship San Ginés de Arlés. It was also useful during the Civil War as militar mercy. Nowadays it is used for catholic masses.


 * LA GRAN PREGUNTA**

Write a small composition in which you explain:

1. In what ways was society organised in Madrid during the Middle Ages?

2. What did the people who built the buildings hope to show with their structures?

3. What role did religion play during the Middle Ages? Was it a private and personal matter? Or, was it related to social status?

Medieval society was organised in two groups: privileged estates and non-privileged estates. The nobles which were the knights and their families. Their duty was to defend the population. They belonged to a privileged estate so they did not pay taxes and could hold political power. The clergy was formed by the monks, the nuns, the abbots and the priests. Their duty was to pray for the spiritual salvation of the population. They also belonged to a privileged estate so they did not have to pay taxes and they could hold political power. The workers ( craftsmen, traders, peasants...) belonged to a non-privileged estate so they had to pay taxes and could not hold political power.

Medieval architecture was very itemized and harmonic so I think that as most of the people who ordered the construction of a building were people with an important role in society, they wanted to proclame their greateness through the buildings they ordered to construct.

Religion had a very important role during the Middle Ages because people believed a lot in it. Religion had a lot of power obtained through two media: the excommunion, through which the clergy could exclude anyone from the Church who did not obbey religion laws and the inquisition, through which judgements could be organised and suspectuous of heresy were sentenced to cruel punishments.