The Carolingian Renaissance: the Emperor Charlemagne and monk Alcuin

Isn't this beautiful! This Tiffany window (designed by Frederic Wilson) portrays the Emperor Charlemagne and monk Alcuin reading an astronomy book in the Palatine Chapel. As head of the Palatine school which Charlemagne established at Aachen, Germany, Alcuin (735-804) greatly influenced the revival of learning known as the Carolingian Renaissance which was largely prompted by the forward vision of Charlemagne and Alcuin. Although the culture of the time was still largely barbarian it was a beginning of the integration of Christianity and the best of the ancient Classical civilizations of Greece and Rome a process which ultimately gave birth to Christendom in the early Middle Ages.

Western civilization is thus rooted in the profound integration of Christianity and Classical civilization, which began at the Carolingian Renaissance. Perhaps we ourselves need to return to our roots as we did in the Renaissance period following the late Middle Ages.


This information is taken from an extremely interesting article on the website of: Universities of Western Civilization: http://www.uowc.org/news/charlemagne-and-alcuin/

Such a return to our roots is a goal of the Universities of Western Civilization.The image of these two pre-eminent figures of the Carolingian Renaissance appear on the Universities of Western Civilization banner.