Adult jobs in medieval brothels: some prostitutes only accepted good Christians

In the Middle Ages, in some places prostitutes could take in only good Christian guests for adult work

Not surprisingly, the church also tried to regulate adult jobs and prostitution in the Middle Ages.

They believed that the institution helped the normal functioning of marriages, and therefore they sometimes supported sex work and creating brothels, as they were at the time.

The church also had a say in erotic adult jobs

In medieval Europe, the church tried to comprehensively regulate all aspects of life, including private and married life.

Although many people thought that prostitution and the activities of prostitutes were classified as serious crimes, this was not the case!

For a while, religious leaders fought against prostitution and sex work,

but later they realized that this was pointless.

Around the 11th century, they realized that they were powerless against the phenomenon of erotic adult work and that it was necessary to operate brothels.

That is why they supported these brothels and made regulations for the work of prostitutes.

In the Middle Ages, prostitution was considered a necessary evil

At least that's how the church viewed the activities of sex workers at the time.

Sexuality was an important part of medieval life, but at the same time, it was regulated by strict rules, which people did not always follow.

Premarital sexual relations were theoretically forbidden, but in practice, many betrothed couples slept with each other. If they found that the partner was not suitable, they could withdraw from the engagement.

Officially, according to the rules of the church, married couples were only allowed to have sex in order to have children or to prevent infidelity.

At the same time, they emphasized the importance of a woman's orgasm for getting pregnant, as well as for the man to satisfy his desires.

In the 11th century, it was concluded that prostitution was a necessary evil and was essential for a good marriage and to avoiding grave sins.

This was because prostitution offered men an opportunity for premarital sex (accepted both socially and by the church), to satisfy their desires, and to protect married women from the seduction of unmarried men.

For this reason, in this period, they no longer wanted to hinder, but rather help prostitution.

The church supported adultworks and brothels

They tried to control the activities of the prostitutes with stricter rules. In several places, they were forced outside the city limits, and it was determined which streets, which days and which periods they could do their adult job.

We still see this attitude today, as the authorities in Amsterdam have repeatedly offered sex workers the option of moving the red-light district to the outskirts of the city:



Brothels proved to be the most favorable solution for the church, so they supported them and would sometimes even create brothels.

Cities usually bought and operated these facilities, and each had a manager who was responsible for smooth operations, solving problems, and paying taxes.

The income came not only from the adult work of the girls, but also from the food and drinks sold here.

Different types of brothels were available, so men of all social status and financial status could find one that suited them.

Some brothels would only accept good Christian guests, and the girls had to practice religious customs,

while prostitutes in higher-ranking brothels underwent regular medical examinations.

It is interesting that in the Middle Ages some bathhouses could also function as brothels, where bourgeois women could also find partners.

However, the church opposed this practice and in the 16th century succeeded in largely closing them down and suppressing erotic activities considered indecent and sinful.

The situation of prostitutes and adultworks in the Middle Ages

Some of the women doing sex work chose this erotic adult job of their own free will, but many were led into this lifestyle by some coercive factor or they were convinced by others.

Some girls only worked intermittently when they did not have enough money.

The girls in the brothels usually lived according to a strict schedule, in many places it was mandatory to pray several times a day and perform religious exercises.

Although their erotic profession was accepted in society, prostitutes were not respected, rather they were looked down upon, considered to be persons of lower value and status, and were often treated cruelly.

In addition, most of them had low earnings, as they had to hand over part of their income to the owner of the brothel.

Of course, there were exceptions: some courtesans were able to acquire considerable wealth and live independently, or even open their own brothels, but this was quite rare.

Sex workers usually had to wear some kind of distinguishing mark, which was different from city to city and country to country.

These signs included a black cloak, a colored belt, or high-soled shoes.

The girls usually did their adult job until they were 30 years old, after which most of them got married and started a family.

Some of them were taken in by monasteries, as the church played a role in their later lives.

Prostitution flourished until the 16th century, but then began to decline, mainly due to the spread of venereal diseases, especially syphilis.

Source: Femina.