The Catholic Church during the Middle Ages played an all-encompassing role over the lives of the people and the government. The Catholic Church became increasingly involved in nonreligious society during the Middle Ages (A.D. c. 450–c. 1500). It played a significant role in medieval European life through the activities of the church officials. Missionaries converted many of the Germanic tribes, and the church was influential in civilizing the so-called "barbarians", or non-Christians. Churches throughout Europe housed travelers and served as hospitals for the sick, while monasteries and cathedrals became centers of learning. As the Dark Ages came to a close, the ideas of the Renaissance started to take hold, and the church gradually began to lose power. The monarchies of Europe also began to grow ,replacing the church's power. Monarchies, at the close of the Middle Ages and the dawn of the Renaissance, did not seek the guidance of the church as much as it sought their approval.