I'm thinking of writing a fictional story where, instead of chalcedony, after the fall of the Roman empire a branch of Christianity arises which supports science. So instead of the dark ages, we have a society which looks like high medieval but has Renaissance tech and mindset but it's set in the 600's or 800's. Has there ever been such a faction? Even one that was developed during the reformation I'd take.
I'm pretty sure there's a section in the FAQ about how the 'Dark Ages' are a false construction, and the idea that the Medieval Church was in any way anti-science is completely and utterly wrong (/u/Steelcan909 help me out here), but if not, I answered here about how the Medieval Church was in fact responsible for keeping scientific knowledge and learning alive, and laying the groundwork for modern concepts like the scientific method, and here a bit more specifically about the importance of astronomy as a science in the medieval period, and the progress made in it.
I'll also add in this excellent answer by u/restricteddata, which helps put the kibosh on the whole anti-science thing, and also these two answers by yours truly, the first dealing with some general dark ages myths, and the second is a more focused post on the "dark ages were a cultural wasteland" thing.