held a level of power and influence

of the population that is almost inconceivable today.

This power came from a combination of factors,

including persuasion, corruption, and coercion,

but most of all, straight up fear mockery.

Yes, the medieval church was heavily

invested in the business of scaring the faithful

into staying faithful.

Today, we're going to take a look

at how the medieval Catholic church frightened

its parishioners into obedience.

But before we get started, be sure to subscribe to the Weird

History Channel, and let us know what religious history

you would like to hear more about.

OK, let's see some self punishment

for having done wrong.

We're going medieval on you.

These days when people hear the term, hell mouth,

they're most likely to think of the television series Buffy

the Vampire Slayer, if they think of anything at all.

Indeed, modern visitors to medieval churches

and cathedrals would probably regard

the frightening sculpted images appearing over the entry way

as mere art or ornamentation.

But for the populists of the medieval era, who

were superstitious and uneducated,

the image of the hell mouth was nothing short of terrifying.

The hell mouth was typically depicted

as a ferocious beast devouring sinners

during the last judgment.

It was the first thing that parishioners

would see on their way into the sanctuary,

and the message was crystal clear.

Obey the church, or this will happen to you.

Wow, they were very, very subtle.

Purgatory in the Catholic religion

is an intermediate state that comes

after death, where people can expiate their sins

before moving on to heaven.

In medieval times, church goers were

extremely concerned about how much time

they might have to spend there.

Luckily, there were several ways a person

could ensure their wait wouldn't be overly long.

For example, they could donate money and goods to the church,

attend services regularly, or even purchase

a certificate that could get them an early release.

But for those who absolutely positively had

to be sure they would skip purgatory entirely,

there was only one surefire way, donate one of their children

to the church.

In ancient times, religions may have demanded human sacrifice

to appease their gods, but the medieval church

had a more pragmatic use for these children.

Namely, replenishing their own numbers.

The clergy, of course, is supposed to be celibate.

So new priests, nuns, and monks had

to be recruited from the general population.

While these new recruits didn't have to be children,

the church preferred them, because they

were easier to mold.

Didn't the families miss their children?

Certainly.

But in an era where poverty was common and many already

had too many mouths to feed, there was no real choice.

What's more?

The arrangement could actually wind up

being beneficial to everyone involved.

For the child being raised by the church

would mean eating better, staying cleaner, and receiving

an education.

For the parents, the arrangement meant

saving money and resources that could be spent

on the rest of the family.

However, while being raised by the church

meant having a full belly, a warm place to sleep,

and an education, there was also predictably a much darker side

to the practice.

Many children are known to have been

victimized by church leaders in a number of inappropriate ways.

Accounts of those who found themselves trapped

in a miserable abusive existence within the church

have survived to this very day.

The most modern observers, seeing a statue weep

would be greeted by immediate skepticism.

One might suppose the statue had been cracked and taken

on water from some outside source,

or perhaps deception was involved

and some devious person placed a water hose inside the statue

to create an illusion.

Seeing a statue weep blood might make one

suspect something rusty was leaking onto it.

Yet, even today, we hear reports of people witnessing

statues they believe are crying real tears

or bleeding real blood.

Often, they believe these tiers are sent by Christ

or some other heavenly figure.

So you can imagine how easily the overwhelmingly

superstitious and religious population of medieval days

would have easily accepted such a site.

Indeed, weeping and bleeding statues

were commonly considered powerful omens

of evil or sad events to come.

An interpretation that was quite useful for a church seeking

to encourage continued obedience.

While you probably think there is no way

to buy oneself out of having committed terrible sins,

you'd be dead wrong.

In the medieval era as much as today,

the church was quite fond of money,

and the faithful could actually buy forgiveness with cash.

If enough money was involved, nothing was unforgivable.

Even more convenient was that you

could purchase a pardon in advance for something

you hadn't even done yet.

Plan to rob or kill someone?

No problem.

Just by yourself an advance pardon and have a good time.

It was a great arrangement for those who could afford it,

and it made the church a fortune.

Call it your get out of jail card for the afterlife.

One of the church's other biggest moneymakers

was selling tickets out of purgatory.

And you could purchase one not just for yourself,

but also, for your deceased loved ones.

Worried that your parents or grandparents

had been denied entrance to heaven

and are trapped in purgatory?

No problem.

Purchase the pardon card.

For the right price, the church would literally

issue you an actual physical certificate

that proved your loved one was on the way to heaven.

The pardon card, don't leave life without it.

Some things never change.

For example, adulterers in medieval times

fared pretty much the same exact things modern ones do.

Namely, getting caught.

These days, a revelation like that

would probably lead to couples therapy or possibly a divorce.

But in the medieval era, that kind of exposure

would mean being made an object of public shaming and ridicule.

In fact, the term walk of shame originated in that era.

It was meant quite literally.

Accused adulterers might be required

to walk nude through the streets under the ridicule of friends

and neighbors.

Game of Thrones fans are probably

thinking of Queen Cersei's famous walk of shame

right about now, which was based directly on this real life

practice.

Not surprisingly, despite this heavy punishment,

adultery remained popular.

For some, the shame is part of the game.

The aforementioned hell mouth sculptures

that hung over the church doors were an effective mood setter,

but they were only the beginning.

Once inside the church, the parishioner

would be greeted by images of the end

of the world, the last judgment, and so-called doom paintings,

which depicted the faithful, rejoicing with God in heaven.

While the sinners boiled in a lake of fire,

that's not all though.

Churches were often filled with altar pieces, statues

of tortured Saints, and all manner

of other images of sinners being punished in hell.

The church employed the greatest artists of the day

to create these works, and those artists often

had vivid and terrifying imaginations.

For the medieval church, the need

to keep a grip on their power and influence

was rivaled only by the drive to make money.

Church officials at all levels were primarily

concerned with selling get out of purgatory certificates.

They also enjoyed spreading the word

about how working for the church would

ensure your social position on Earth

and reserve you a spot in heaven.

This fixation on profit went so far,

parishioners were often warned that any

and all expendable income they came into possession of

should be given directly to the church.

Depending on a person's social status,

contributions could come in various forms.

If you were poor, you could give livestock or whatever

coins you were able to spare.

Upper and middle class families--

and yes, there was a burgeoning middle class at this point.

--were also under a great deal of pressure to give.

Examples of what such people might

donate to stay in the church's good graces

include silver candlesticks, linen altar cloths,

or even a church pew.

The extremely wealthy might even donate something

as expensive as an ornate altarpiece or stained glass

window, which might depict holy figures along with members

of the donor's family.

Ever hear someone refer to the seventh level of hell?

You probably have, though you may not

have realized that phrases like that

are an allusion to the first part of Dante Alighieri's

Divine Comedy, namely, The Inferno.

This three part epic poem written in the 14th century

chillingly details the experience of going through

hell, purgatory, and heaven.

Considered one of the greatest works of Western literature,

the Divine Comedy heavily inspired

the artist who created these hell mouths,

as well as all the imagery within the church depicting

sinners and hellish circumstances.

Ironically, the poem was really just an excuse for its author

to blow off steam at his enemies,

but it was also something a lot of people could relate to,

including the church.

In fact, for the church, Dante's Inferno

was an invaluable resource for frightening the faithful

into strict obedience.

Though, of course, much like the rest of their agenda,

this had much more to do with keeping people

in the habit of giving them money, property, and children

over to the church than it did with saving anyone's soul.

Medieval cathedrals were often enormous, elaborate buildings.

And the fact that many still stand today

is a testament to human mastery of architecture, physics,

and masonry.

These buildings often took several generations

to fully construct.

And villages and cities would rise up around them.

Building a cathedral was difficult and dangerous,

but also, allowed for an unparalleled level

of artistic creativity.

For example, the original builders

would often carve their own faces

into the statuary and motifs on display

both inside and outside the buildings.

Despite this freedom, the sculptors and masons

had to work within the artistic styles favored by the church.

This included imagery of Jesus, Mary, and the Saints,

but also, would typically include

figures of demons and gargoyles on the building's exterior.

These figures would often be depicted near doorways or high

up on spires.

This way, they could cast their unnerving gazes down

upon the sinners entering the church,

inspiring them to seek forgiveness and stay obedient.

Despite all the fear mongering the church engaged in

to keep their parishioners in line,

there are always those who just don't care.

Whether because they didn't believe in it

or simply felt an eternity of punishment

was a fair price for the sins they sought to engage in,