[[Christianity]] brought further change to the Roman style, particularly as the "illustration of the Gospels was... necessary in order to spread the beliefs to the new converts, most of whom were illiterate. After the Roman Empire collapsed, Europe's greatest inheritance was the Roman-Christian tradition, which was heavily infused with classical ideas and Christian artistic styles. Despite some scholarly belief that the [[Middle Ages]] was a period of artistic decline, the existence of beautiful painted manuscripts and glowing altars from that period suggests otherwise."<ref>''Painting before 1300.'' op cit.</ref> | [[Christianity]] brought further change to the Roman style, particularly as the "illustration of the Gospels was... necessary in order to spread the beliefs to the new converts, most of whom were illiterate. After the Roman Empire collapsed, Europe's greatest inheritance was the Roman-Christian tradition, which was heavily infused with classical ideas and Christian artistic styles. Despite some scholarly belief that the [[Middle Ages]] was a period of artistic decline, the existence of beautiful painted manuscripts and glowing altars from that period suggests otherwise."<ref>''Painting before 1300.'' op cit.</ref> |