The role played by the Church is directly intertwined with the history and development of Western civilization. Although the church has had an influence on many aspects throughout its long history, it has had a major impact both culturally and philosophically. Specifically, the church had a great influence on the arts and architecture, which led to a change in philosophical mindset. The church's influence on Western society has led to a major influence on art, architecture, and philosophy within these branches has led to a major influence on the building of Western civilization. The artistic legacy of the West is strongly identified with Catholic images which were strongly influenced by the influence of the Church. The 8th and 9th centuries witnessed the growth of a destructive heresy called iconoclasm. Iconoclasm rejected the veneration of images of religious figures and went so far as to reject the representation of Christ and saints in art altogether. (115) This idea, however, could not take hold, as it was directly contrary to Catholic understanding and appreciation for the created world. Woods provides this information to describe the influence and importance of the church in works of art, in which, as I strongly agree, it kicked off a period that created beautiful paintings, sculptures, stained glass windows, and illuminated manuscripts ; which were important parts during the growth of Western civilization. Theologians referred to Catholic theology in defense of art that depicted Christ, saints, and religious scenes that defined much of Western artistic life and, in general, Western civilization. Woods is describing the influence of the Church, overcoming iconoclasm and having a huge influence on the arts, which sparked the g...... middle of paper ......t about your interest in choosing the chapter . I chose this chapter because I knew, already 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 insight into the Church's influence on the growth of art and its significance to Western civilization. From the beginning I knew that choosing this chapter would be interesting and I was right. This chapter provided an abundant amount of information, such as famous artists and the roles they played, and the influence the Church had on art, and vice versa. I was fascinated by the entire chapter, page by page, and Woods successfully played an important role in directly explaining the influence that art and architecture had on Western civilization