It seems, to me at least, that
@Kathar1na has shown that the "quote" must be attributed to that most prolific of all authors, Anon.
As to what made Europe, I am indebted to
@mspath. I think she has nailed it. The skilled architects (as we would now call them) or chief builders and their stonemason artisans and sculptors, mostly from after 1000 CE (AD). The first living example in my ken is Durham Cathedral and a much later (and relevant) example would be Leon Cathedral, said to be in the French mode of its day.
My travels have taken me to Colmar in eastern France and about 10 km from the Rhine. With the larger churches having much exquisite works of art commissioned for them and still viewable, I would add these artisans travelling the Upper Rhine (?) region and plying their craft.
And bringing this monologue back to a pilgrimage, I cite some relevant experiences while on Via Francigena.
My first rest stop was at Arras. At what better thing to do than visit the Wellington Tunnel. This was an extension of the Roman tunnel from the centre of Arras, a further extension in medieval times with the Kiwi tunnellers having the last go (hence the name). The post script of a short documentary afterwards was on the theme of pursuing peace in Europe.
A week later, at Rheims I walked the ambulatory around chancel (choir and sanctuary) I saw a photo from about 1961 of the President of France and the Chancellor of (West) Germany seated in the chancel (just beyond the grille were I was standing) as they forgave one another (!reconciliation?) for the trials and tribulations of the past 100 years (and more).
And finally, a few days later at Colombey-les-Deux-Église, seeing the memorial museum for the same President and an explanation for why England (sic) was regarded by him as persona-non-grata when creating building blocks for what is now the European Union (and not the explanation I was expecting).
In my view,
@JohnLloyd, and speaking from afar, making Europe is a work in progress.
Thank you and others for this fascinating thread.