ABSTRACT
The most remarkable expression of late medieval piety as well as of the wealth available in the region during the later Middle Ages is to be found in the parish churches. The most characteristic religious foundations of the later Middle Ages were the chantry chapels or endowments whereby a priest was employed to sing masses for the soul of the founder. The Black Death was also a powerful agent, though not the only factor, in other changes such as the shrinkage and desertion of villages, changes in social structure and developments in farming. After the Black Death the foundation of new monastic houses almost entirely came to an end, and it is indicative of the changed temper of the times and of the decline in the popularity of the monks that the typical late medieval foundations were schools, colleges, almshouses, hospitals and chantry chapels. Nonetheless the monastic houses continued to dominate the region with their vast estates.
