Sexuality in the Middle Ages
If we hazard a look at the medieval era, we discover a history of sexuality that is far more multilayered than we might at first have imagined. While the Christian church sought to extend its influence into private bedchambers, ‘lascivious’ attitudes and practices stood in the way of its ambitions.
Chastity v. lust – an inevitable struggle?
If you must have sex, please stick to the rules!
Sexual norms and their consequences
Prostitution: a blind spot
Moving from criticism to a medical standpoint
There's no smoke without fire
Between rigid ideals and lived experience
Sex as a human preoccupation
coveted. cared for. martyred. Bodies in the Middle Ages
There were conflicting perspectives of the human body during the Middle Ages: it was glorified, suppressed, cared for and chastised. The exhibition features many loaned exhibits from within and outside Switzerland to explore how the human body was viewed during the Middle Ages from a cultural history perspective, thereby also raising some questions about how we perceive the human body today.