Abstract EN:

The salvation of the lower classes is a major issue for the Carolingian ecclesia, considered as the whole of the Christian subjects of the sovereign. Nevertheless, despite the concern of the poor and the proclamation of equality by the Church, the temporal hierarchies persist, and the lower classes are the object of prejudices in the aristocracy’s and prelate’s view. The disturbance of the social order, established by God himself, is considered a serious sin. Therefore, the lower classes have to obey their masters and their social status. Parishes are introduced as the frame of salvation, but they also represent a way of controlling the faithful through tithes, penance or excommunication. Thus, the Church imposes itself as an intermediary between God and the humanity. However, on a local scale, the priest and the faithful establish a consensus to strengthen Christianism. The Church tolerates a certain heterodoxy : it includes the faithful through correction and penance instead of excluding the sinners. The Christianization is a complex process which involves many actors : lay and ecclesiastic elite, parish priests, but also the faithful, including the lower classes.