From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ex-voto
Ex-voto
A few examples
In the church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde in Marseille,
France, the site of a major local pilgrimage, the ex-votos
include paintings, plaques, model boats, war medals and
even football shirts given by players and supporters of
Olympique de Marseille, the local team. The magnificent
Lod mosaic is thought to be an ex-voto expressing grat-
itude for rescue from a shipwreck.[2] In a corner of the
basilica of Saint Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal there is a
tall wall with thousands of crutches and other supports
from those who Brother André supposedly healed. Pope
John Paul II recognized the authenticity of the miracles
and beatified Brother André in 1982.
La Rochelle slave ship Le Saphir ex-voto, 1741.
The collection of ex-votos in Abbey of St Maria del Monte, Cese-
na
An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or divinity. It
is given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term,
short for ex voto suscepto, "from the vow made") or in
gratitude or devotion. Ex-votos are placed in a church
or chapel where the worshipper seeks grace or wishes
to give thanks. The destinations of pilgrimages often in- • Votive tablets to Saint Mary in Himmerod Abbey,
clude shrines decorated with ex-votos. Germany
Ex-votos can take a wide variety of forms. They are • A model ship (probably thanking help during a
not only intended for the helping figure, but also as a tes- storm) hanging in a Söderköping church.
timony to later visitors of the received help. As such they • Ex-votos in the Lady Chapel of Jasna Góra,
may include texts explaining a miracle attributed to the Częstochowa
helper, or symbols such as a painted or modelled repro- • Several body parts in a Cypriot plaque from the
duction of a miraculously healed body part, or a direct- Roman age.
ly related item such as a crutch given by a person for- • Roadside Votivtafeln, Ganz, East Tirol
merly lame. There are places where a very old tradition • Ex voto in Gesù Nuovo, Naples
of depositing ex-votos existed, such as Abydos in ancient
Egypt.[1]
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ex-voto
• Modèle 1951 helmet of the French Army on display
as an ex-voto at Notre-Dame de la Garde in Marseille.
The back of the helmet is slightly bent, suggesting
that it was hit by a shrapnel and saved its owner.
See also
• Votive deposit
• Retablo (Latin America)
• Milagro (votive)
• Votive candle
• Tama (votive)
• Pinax
References
[1] History of Egypt Chaldea, Syria, Babylonia, and
Assyria in the Light of Recent Discovery, L. W. King,
H. R. Hall, Echo Library, 2008
[2] A suggested reconstruction of one of the merchant
ships on the mosaic floor in Lod (Lydda) Israel, Elie
Haddad and Miriam Avissar , The International
Journal of Nautical Archaeology (2003) 32. I: 73-77
[1]
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ex-voto
External links • Marine french ex-voto of Marseille (France)
• Everyday Miracles: Medical Imagery in Ex-Votos
National Library of Medicine.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ex-voto&oldid=445328956"
Categories:
• Sainthood
• Sacramentals
• Sacred art
• Folk art
• Votive offering
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