Masterbate With An Egg

Gothic art, like the Romanesque is eminently religious not only in theme or content, or for the fact that the Church was the main patron or sponsor, but because art was seen as an instrument of evangelization throughout the Middle Ages. If
to Roman times, the building was the main monastery, the Gothic cathedral was. In Roman times, monks, especially the Benedictines carried out their religious work within the monasteries, by practicing an austere life, but at the center of activity moved to the cities, it was necessary to create new religious orders, which directly involved in the lives of the faithful, these were the mendicant orders.
mendicant clergy was not tied to a particular monastery, but had a dynamic character and was obliged to preach and fight against heresy. The dynamic nature and his absolute fidelity to Rome "... allowed the priests to use Franciscans and Dominicans as an army to defend their interests. In his role as preachers, missionaries, inquisitors , canon lawyers, theologians and intellectual mendicants provided the sociological imperative stop the triumph of the papal theocracy ... " (http://www.artehistoria.jcyl.es/ historia/contextos/1074.htm)

The mendicant orders (Latin mendicare , begging) were bound by the vow of poverty, however came to receive large donations from princes and burghers that used in the construction of Gothic churches and monasteries. The most important commands were: San Francisco de Assisi, founded in 1222 and Santo Domingo, founded in 1215, women were also established orders such as the Dominicans and the Poor Clares. All of them contributed to the direct dialogue between the church and the new society and its spiritual influence also reached art.
"... The mendicant orders were so large disseminator of Gothic architecture and, despite being orders austere, promoted the arts for the glory and honor to God ... " (The Centuries of Art." XIV Century . Sandra Baragli , EDT . Electa. p. 38)

At first the religious buildings were sober and simple, in keeping with the principle of poverty of the monks, but quickly erased the image of austerity and churches are richly decorated with sculptures and stained glass so expensive, example are the Franciscan church of Santa Croce in Florence and the Dominican church in Toulouse . In particular, the Franciscans used art as propaganda and thus religious, san Francisco is continually reproduced in the frescoes, altarpieces and stained glass , becoming a favorite of the Gothic period.

Florence Santa Cruz