古今文明（15）

在这所有变动中，教会是中世纪时期最大的稳定力量。仰仗其有力的精神服务产生的权威性，教会提供了对欧洲人生活实行有效、集中监督的最便捷方法。教会还是诗人和艺术家的主要资助者．其修道院成为珍贵手抄本的贮藏室，它还培育出一种新型的学习机构——大学。

Amidst all of this change, the greatest stabilizing force in Europe during the medieval period was the church. With the authority that stemmed from its vital spiritual service, the church provided the nearest approach to effective and centralized supervision of European life. The church was also the chief patron of poets and artists; its monasteries were repositories for precious manuscripts, and it fostered a new institution of learning -- the university.