In the Middle Ages, desire and sex were hot potatoes for the religious. Monks and nuns lived in monasteries akin to fortresses. Desire was termed luxuria, and to combat it some clergy resorted to measures like freezing-water immersions and castration. Yet the streets could be surprisingly carnal and subversive. Authorities often closed an eye to brothels, which were viewed as “sewers” or “septic tanks” for male lust. This exhibition at the Cloisters looks at medieval responses to eros through 50 works, from gold jewelry to ivory sculptures. —Elena Clavarino