Final answer:
The church's central role in medieval Europe as a center of power, literacy, and community life resulted in it being the primary source of historical records, with the creation of records being a task reserved by the literate clergy.
Step-by-step explanation:
Records originating from church centers can largely be attributed to the central role of the church in medieval European society. As the seat of power and literacy, the church consolidated control over knowledge and education. The creation of records, which were primarily religious texts, was undertaken by monks and clergy, the few who were literate. Churches functioned not just as places of worship but also as community centers, influencing various aspects of daily life, including social and political organization.
The relics stored and revered in these churches further emphasize the church's central position, drawing pilgrims and contributing to the local economy and prestige of the church. This accumulation of important texts and items, in addition to the widespread desire to ensure the alignment of local customs and beliefs with those of the church, helped ensure that the records that survived from these times were almost exclusively church-related. These factors combined to make church centers the primary sources of historical records until the emergence of broader literacy and secular record-keeping.