Western Civilization

Whether Renaissance was more compatible with the Catholic or Protestant Church

To my opinion , it was Catholicism that was more compatible with the Renaissance and secular development in the early sixteenth century . The reasons are as follows

1 . Renaissance originated and developed rapidly in Italy where Catholicism enjoyed the strongest influence . Later Renaissance trends quickly penetrated to the regions like Spain , South France and South Germany where they flourished magnificently , while in those regions where Protestantism gained more popularity , like North Germany , the Netherlands and England , medieval ideas of art

preserved their impact throughout the entire XVI century . Later the ideology of Protestantism contributed greatly to the bourgeois city culture and capitalism development , yet in the XVI century Protestantism was rather disincentive than accelerating factor

2 . The Renaissance idea of art has been to a great extent developed due to experience which painters , sculptors and the men of letters gained when performing s of the Roman Catholic Church . Such great masters as Raphael developed the Renaissance principles of art while working with religious themes and motifs . In contrast , Protestantism disfavored pictures and sculptures of the saints as idols significantly decreasing demand for artistic work

3 . Protestantism appeared as a puritan religion advocating modest and even ascetic way of life , while Catholicism of the time in fact never condemned those living in wealth and luxury . Due to demand for secular articles of luxury in the Catholic regions , both art and industry in those regions progressed rapidly throughout the XVI century . For...