▁vision ▁of ▁prost itution ▁currently ▁known ▁to ▁have ▁surv ived ▁from ▁medieval ▁Europe ▁which ▁shows ▁the ▁pers pect ives ▁of ▁prost it utes ▁themselves . ▁Els ' s ▁story ▁has ▁been ▁the ▁subject ▁of ▁several ▁magazine ▁articles , ▁ ▁a ▁TV ▁document ary , ▁and ▁a ▁the atr ical ▁production , ▁and ▁has ▁been ▁the ▁focus ▁of ▁modern ▁research ▁into ▁prost itution ▁in ▁medieval ▁Europe . ▁ ▁Pro st itution ▁in ▁medieval ▁Europe ▁ ▁Public ▁bro th els ▁of ▁the ▁kind ▁that ▁Els ▁von ▁E yst ett ▁worked ▁in ▁were ▁a ▁common ▁feature ▁in ▁towns ▁across ▁much ▁of ▁western ▁Europe ▁in ▁the ▁period ▁ca . ▁ 1 3 5 0 – 1 5 5 0 . ▁Although ▁the ▁medieval ▁Church ▁condem ned ▁prost itution ▁and ▁saw ▁prost it utes ▁themselves ▁as ▁sin ful ▁women , ▁it ▁was ▁generally ▁accepted ▁that ▁toler ating ▁prost itution ▁in ▁society ▁represented ▁a ▁less er ▁evil ▁than ▁b anning ▁it ▁altogether . ▁This ▁position ▁was ▁u ph eld ▁by ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁major ▁ecc les iast ical ▁figures ▁including ▁St . ▁August ine ▁ ▁and ▁St . ▁Thomas ▁Aqu inas . ▁ ▁In ▁southern ▁and ▁central ▁Germany , ▁where ▁public ▁bro th els ▁were ▁much ▁more ▁common ▁than ▁in ▁the ▁north , ▁bro th els ▁typically ▁operated ▁on ▁a ▁le ase holder ▁model ▁which ▁saw ▁a ▁bro th el - keeper ▁( F ra uen w irt / in ) ▁pay ▁civ ic ▁authorities ▁for ▁the ▁right ▁to ▁run ▁the ▁bro th el . ▁R ules ▁gover ning