Do you need a family in a Manor Lords church?

Religion. Whichever way you look at it, it was an important part of Medieval life. And even though the building costs were massive, Churches were built all over Europe during the Middle Ages. 

The same is true for your Manor Lords settlements. Every region you own or claim needs a Church. It is one of the basic requirements for even the level 1 Families who just joined you in your quest to become the greatest Manor Lord alive. 

Wooden Church

After providing for the most basic needs (food and water, shelter and warmth, and clothing), religion is most likely the last of the 5 requirements you will fulfil.

Building the Wooden Church will cost you 5 logs, 20 planks and 10 stone. That's a decent amount of resources right at the start of the game. 

The Wooden Church has space for 1 Family to work there. 

Stone Church

As your village grows and you start upgrading your Burgage Plots to level 2, you will need to upgrade your Church as well. The next step is the Stone Church. 

A Stone Church in my Manor Lords region, where dead soldiers were just buried by assigned villagers.

To upgrade your Wooden Church to a Stone Church, you will need:

• 5 timber
• 10 planks
• 20 Stone
• 10 Rooftiles. 

After upgrading the Church, you will satisfy the religious needs of level 2 Families. You are also able to put 3 Families to work here. 

Church without Families

A Church without a Family assigned, will still supply the requirements of your region's village. It does not matter if it's a Wooden or a Stone Church. 

As long as the Church is there, it will open up those large doors and a priest will provide all the religion your villagers require. 

So can you assign Families to work at a Church then? 

Working at the Church

There are two reasons that a Family needs to work at a Church: to dig graves and to bury people. 

Now, villagers in Manor Lords don't age. At least, it's a process we don't see happening. So people won't die of old age. 

Soldiers on the other hands, will die. Be it bandits, raiders, militia or mercenaries. Yes, even your retinue soldiers can (and will!) die if you send them to war. 

The soldiers who've died on the battlefield in your region, will need to be buried. Having decaying corpses lying around apparently isn't good for morale... 

Manor Lords villagers assigned to work at a Church. These family members will dig graves, collect fallen soldiers and bury them on the hallowed ground of the Church.

To get rid of those bodies, assign a Family to work at your Church. The members will dig a grave, collect the body from the battlefield and then bury the dead soldier on Hallowed Ground surrounding the Church. Probably even mumble some sort of prayer while doing so. 

Corpse Pit

Do all bodies need to be buried at a Church? 

The answer is no. Enemy soldiers, like raiders, can be thrown into a Corpse Pit. Like the Church, a Corpse Pit will need a Family assigned to work there.

Family members will collect the slain enemies from the battlefield and toss them down the pit. 

Manor Lords villagers collecting slain soldiers off the battle fields.