Monastery of the Brothel
Jan Milíč was the son of a master weaver from Kroměříž, so he came from the bourgeoisie. He originally worked as a notary of the Czech royal office of Charles IV in Prague. Later he became a royal vice-chancellor and canon at St. Vitus. Both positions were very profitable. However, Milíč soon learned that many high dignitaries, both secular and clerical, lived immorally and that their example was followed by the townspeople and the lower classes.
At that time, Charles IV invited the German preacher Konrad Waldhauser from Vienna to Prague to point out the sins and iniquities of the Prague people. Under the influence of his teaching, and following the example of Francis of Assisi, Jan Milíč also gave up his functions and worked in voluntary poverty by word and example. He preached in Bohemian, Latin and German in churches and on the streets, and he fought against pride, fornication and avarice. He was therefore accused of heresy and had to defend himself to the Pope.
In 1372, it was an unusually great success. Many Prague harlots, moved by his words, were moved to repentance. Milíč begged from the king the place where the Venice brothel used to stand in the Old Town, partly buying it, partly receiving several building sites and founding a chapel and a nunnery for women called New Jerusalem.
The image shows the rest of the aforementioned brothel in the background and a crowd watching. On the left is part of the Gothic buildings of Prague - Konviktská Street. In the foreground, under the scaffolding of the new shelter, Jan Milíč speaks to the women who, under the influence of his words, are putting away their jewellery and doing penance. The symbol of repentance, reformation and doing good is represented by a woman with a blindfold over her mouth.
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