What was the role of Christianity in the life of medieval Europe?

Christianity is the dominant (and in fact the only) religion in Medieval Europe. Everyone – from a vagabond and a serf to the Emperor, recognized the authority of the Catholic Church and the Pope. The power of the Church was immense – she could declare war and take away the power of the monarchs. The entire spiritual life of society was dominated by religion – literature and architecture were filled with religious motives, and everyday life was viewed from the point of view of the system of sins and the afterlife.