The iridescent light from the stained-glass windows of the cathedral cast a luminescent glow about the figure in white robes as he stood high on the pulpit, looking down upon the huddled masses. Below him, princes, nobles, commoners, and peasants, all were spellbound by His Holiness, Pope Urban II, and all stood in silence, hanging upon his every word. He stood before them like a messenger from God, ready to deliver the final judgment.
The tension in the air was palpable, and the silence in the sanctuary was fraught with anticipation. The Pope’s sermon was unlike anything they had ever heard before, and the terrible images conjured by his speech had filled his audience with horror and outrage. The Holy Land and holy city of Jerusalem, the very city where Christ had walked and was crucifie
