Absorption of Pagan Art

The Christian dominance in Europe is very mixed from culture to culture. As they grew more powerful Christian art pickup preexisting art forms and templates. They sponged them up and then used them to portray Jesus and Bible stories. It makes sense to do this because they wanted to convert and conform people. This can be done easier with familiar pictures and ideas. Later Christian paintings would have cherubic and animal likenesses, something previous pagan. They really did pick and choose what they kept in illustrations as now education was something for the wealthy, whereas before common people would have portraits with quills and scrolls. Even scrolls would be ignored as they too were pagan. The monks and scribes in charge of illustrating Christian manuscripts used pagan looking decoration and designs. They used a mostly pictures in the churches to teach Christianity as most people were illiterate.Of course there was always a group who resented the new Christian absorption and waged war, which continued for some time before the Christians were more distract with the Muslim crusades.