Final answer:
Saint Jerome observed that the Roman cities in Germany and France were largely destroyed or fell into decline due to invasions by Germanic tribes. During the fifth century CE, these invasions led to the collapse of Roman authority and urban centers, with notable sackings by the Ostrogoths and Visigoths. The Roman Catholic Church managed to preserve much of the Roman culture and helped the spread of Christianity.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Saint Jerome, most of the Roman cities in Germany and France suffered greatly during the fifth century CE due to invasions by Germanic tribes. The Germanic tribes, fleeing from aggressors like Attila the Hun, invaded the Roman Empire, leading to the fall of Rome in 476 CE and the subsequent collapse of Roman authority in Western Europe. The Germanic invasions and migrations into Roman territories not only led to military defeats, such as the catastrophic loss in the Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE, but also the decline and abandonment of urban centers. The decline of the Western Roman Empire, which was less urbanized and prosperous, made it susceptible to repeated sackings by the likes of the Ostrogoths and Visigoths. Such attacks devastated Roman infrastructure, with many buildings being stripped of marble and other materials, and cities being reduced to ruins or pastoral land, as was described by Saint Jerome.
The Roman Catholic Church, however, remained influential, preserving much of the culture of the Roman Empire including the Latin language. Despite the political turmoil and the breakdown of Roman urban centers in regions such as Gaul (France) and various parts of Germania (Germany), the influence of Roman culture and Christianity continued to spread, with the Church playing a central role in the cultural continuity and the gradual shaping of Medieval European civilisation.