The Mass of Saint Giles by the unknown Master of Saint Giles embodies all the ideals of the Middle Ages. The painting's portrayal of the consecration of the host is consistent with the religious, God-fearing society of which it is a part. The spirit of the Middle Ages is so deeply ingrained within this painting, that there are very few details in the painting that don't reference a famous person, place or item from the time period. In fact, I think the painting is merely a symbol – an artifact showing the immense power of legend to influence the battle between Church and State.
             In order to understand this battle between Church and State, the backdrop of the times must first be understood. The Middle Ages start with the withdrawal and loss of power of the Roman Empire in much of Europe. The Pax Romana had once been used to provide safe passage for trade and manufacture, but its influence had dwindled greatly since the 5th century. In many of these weakened areas, it was common for "barbarian invasions" to come and take over the land, making it unsafe to travel long distances to carry goods for trade. Lots of fighting occurred in many areas and trade and commerce stagnated. As a result of all this fighting, trade and government became so centralized that dukes, counts, and various nobles were rulers of their area of land. Throughout this entire mess, the Christian Church ended up being the only centralized institution to have survived the fall of the Western Roman Empire largely intact. Since they were in charge of learning, writing, and were easily the largest cultural influence of the time, this allowed the Church to display some power of its own using bishops to help influence and regulate the rule in various areas. As a result of this significant advantage, we have the conflict between local and national leaders with the bishops of the time.
             Now in terms of the painting, the struggle betwe...