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The church was the center, not only of the religious life, but also of the
social life of a medieval village. Here, the villagers would go through
their rites of passage; baptism, marriage (vows at the church door were
usually sufficient), churching after childbirth, the last sacrament, and
burial. Lateran Council IV in 1215 required every person to go to
confession and take communion at least once a year. The Church, with its
Sundays and numerous feastdays, could also provide a welcome break in the
life of the villagers, although these days were perhaps not always spent
in the way the Church envisioned...
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