The role played by the Church was directly linked to the history and development of Western civilization. Although the Church has influenced many things throughout its long history, it has had a major cultural and philosophical impact. Specifically, the Church had a major influence on the arts and architecture, leading to a change in philosophical thinking. The Church's influence on Western society had a major influence on art, architecture, and philosophy within these branches, leading to a major influence on the construction of Western civilization. The artistic heritage of the West is strongly identified with Catholic images which were strongly influenced by the influence of the Church. The 8th and 9th centuries saw the development of a destructive heresy called iconoclasm. Iconoclasm rejected the veneration of images of religious figures and went so far as to reject the depiction of Christ and saints in art. (115) This idea could not take hold, however, because it went directly against the Catholic understanding and appreciation of the created world. Woods provides this information to describe the influence and importance of the church in the work of art, in which, as I wholeheartedly agree, sparked a period of creating beautiful paintings, sculptures, stained glass windows and illuminated manuscripts; which played a major role in the growth of Western civilization. Theologians looked to Catholic theology to defend art that depicted Christ, the saints, and the religious scenes that defined much of Western artistic life and, more broadly, Western civilization. Woods describes the influence of the Church, overcoming iconoclasm and having a huge influence on the arts, which sparked the game...... middle of paper ......t on your interest in the choice of chapter. I chose this chapter because I knew, from the title: “Art, architecture and church”, that it would interest me. In other words, being an artist is one of my favorite hobbies, but I don't know much about art history. This chapter provided an overview of the Church's influence on the growth of art and its importance to Western civilization. From the beginning, I knew that choosing this chapter would be interesting, and I was right. This chapter provided a copious amount of information, such as famous artists and the roles they played, as well as the influence of the Church on art, and vice versa. I was captivated throughout the chapter, page by page, and Woods, successfully, played a major role in directly explaining the influence that art and architecture had on Western civilization.