Christianity, the religion based on the person and teachings of Jesus on Nazareth, was spread far and wide in medieval times from AD 400 to AD 600 first by a small group of Jews and then by the help of two groups of Christians: monks and missionaries. Missionaries are people who are usually sent by the pope to different lands to convert people to a certain religion (in this case, Christianity). Popes sent missionaries to a variety of places such as Britain, Germany and France, but not all missionaries were sent by the pope to fulfill their duties. A missionary named Patrick (prior to being canonized) was one of the first missionaries to travel up to Northern Europe alone without being sent by a pope, and converted the Irish people to Christians. Along with missionaries, monks, religious men who lived apart from society in isolated communities, were a huge contribute to the spread of Christianity in the Middle Ages. The communities monks lived in were called monasteries, which were built all over Europe. Monks had a strict lifestyle and they had to follow many rules. Many monks chose to follow the Benedictine Rule, created by an Italian monk named Benedict (read more by pressing button below). Monks had a very big influence on Europe because they provided helpful services like healthcare. They also did many other beneficial things for their society like running schools and copying books for those who could not read or write, collecting and saving ancient writings from Rome and Greece, and serving as scribes and advisors for local rulers. As well as missionaries, monks helped spread Christianity to new places. They built monasteries in places where Christians had never traveled before, so that people that lived close by the monasteries could learn about Christianity. Christianity was very important in the Dark Ages because it was many people's only hope to survive this dull time period.
These are Monks (above).
This woman is a missionary visiting Africa (above).