Travelling Memories

There is in the visual narrative of maritime ex-votos a primary equation that conjugates itself in different ways depending on the expertise of the author and the dramatic charge of the action: Sea, vessels, people, prayers, devotions

The sea, with its ambiguous character of salvation and destruction, death and renovation, is represented by the movement of the waves that is simultaneously dialogue and perpetual movement.

The sea as primordial matter, place of travel to and from the unknown is light and dark, but always restless.

The waves, the essence of the waters, represent the violence of movement.

The more or less sinuous line which draws the sea reveals the degree of danger that led to the prayer and invocation and which is also materialized in the votive panel.

Drawn most times by anonymous artists, they use devices and conventions of creation that repeat themselves, like a pattern in almost every single one: 
1 - the invocation of the saint of devotion…

2 - The violence of the incident ...

3 - the explanatory subtitle.

The movement that leads to the unknown is fear and wonder, shipwreck and salvation, storm and peace. The importance of imagination is central for the coherence of the narrative. 

Built in 1916, during the First World War, it was torpedoed by the German submarine U-157 off the Azores, on the journey from Porto to Belém do Pará. Only five of the 45 crew members have survived, the vast majority of whom came from Ílhavo.

Performed miracle. On October 25, 1868, when everything seemed lost, the fishermen of Yacht "Bragança" promised a sung mass and a sermon if they survived the violence of the waves ... and so it happened …

… walking on the waters of the sea… a hurricane comes that lasts a few hours. Without hope of rescue, José Ferreira promised with great eagerness that if they were saved there would be a mass sung with music and a sermon... and so it happened.

The vast stormy sea contrasts with the miniscule figure of a sailor who, swept from the deck during the terrible storm, clings to the jib pole and prays to Saint Philomena for his salvation. Note the curious representation of the movement of the waves.

If vessels symbolize the journey, this does not always lead to the success of the venture and, in times of distress, salvation is prayed for.

Ex-votos belong to a Christian tradition characteristic of many maritime folks whose activities and imagination are predominantly linked to the sea.

The promise made by the crews is evident in the ex-voto which is the testimony of the narratives of trials experienced at sea.

The reports, both visually and written in the descriptions that often accompany the images, describe the miracle performed, and have an indisputable anthropological value.                     

The ship "Ribeiro 2º", in lat. North 49.30 long. West of Greenwich 26.12, suffered a severe storm on August 21, 1864. Once saved the crew, the ex-voto was offered by Captain João de Deus Vieira to Our Lady of Penha de França.

Materialization of the storm faced: … water entering the deck, lost cargo, empty liferaft, and part of the crew holding onto the ship to not be dragged into the sea …

The materialization of the damage ...

… the fragility and smallness of the vessel facing the devastating energy of the sea and the wind …

… the violence of the storm in which the vessel got caught up, in the dangerous and feared Bay of Biscay ...

... The dark shades dominate the canvas, contributing to the genuine pathos of the painting. On the top left corner, stands out the figure of a female deity, who watches over and protects those who address Her.

The visual narrative is predominantly given by the caption. In it we find the description of the action in the acknowledgment: Blessing  made N.S. de Penha de França to Matias Simões Corporal of the squadron of the Royal Navy ...                                     

Dedicated to the Virgin of Good Air, by D. Francisco Fernández, member of the University of Mareantes, an organization of pilots, sailors, masters and ship owners existing in Seville.

The barge "América" was built in 1869 and considered irrecoverable in 1909, after having crashed into the Chapel of Saint Peter during a flood on the Douro when it was anchored in the city of Porto.

The ex-votos allow also, in addition to knowing the types of vessels, to see what their ornamentation was like. Here we can see the sculptural wooden decoration on the stern and elements such as the flag or the pennants. 

The sea swirls around the boat and seems to swallow it. The prayers to Our Lady of Carmo saved the crew from an almost certain death sentence. Thus the admonition ‘those in need address the Mother of God’.

The dimension of the ship contrasts with the bite-sized human figures scattered through the deck, and the brush stroked arms and hands which point, or are raised, maybe praying for salvation?

When the boat sinks and escape seems difficult, a prayer to the Lord Jesus of the Navigators seems the only possible salvation.

The darkness of the stormy sea and sky are broken by the white of the ship’s sails, only one of them upright, and by the yellow flash around Saint Philomena, who saved the mariners.

The painting conveys the impression of the ship’s solidity, which is contradicted only by the violence of the waves which crush against it. The short caption registers the miracle performed by Our Lady of the Incarnation.

Our Lord Jesus of the Navigators is central to the devotions of the Ilhavenses. Sea. Waves. People. Despair. Prayers. They are combined in a unique way in this votive materialization signed by Mathias.

Lost in the waves, the ships from Baía, ask for the patronage of Our Lady, promising her a month's pay for the celebration of a party in her honor.

Sometimes, the saint or Marian devotion to whom prayers were directed during situations of danger at sea were related to the person's place of origin. Jozé Joaquim, who commissioned this votive offering, was from Fontes, a town near Amarante, where Saint Gonçalo lived.

In Ílhavo, devotion to Senhor Jesus dos Navegantes is intrinsic to the community. Here, Captain António Nunes is grateful for the rescue after the sinking. Revived by João Cazaux.

The devotion to Saint Anthony is also represented in the ex-votos.

Saint Anthony is represented with the Child Jesus and
emerges resplendent from the clouds.

When facing danger, a prayer to Saint Anthony.

The vessel, the crew, the devotion to Saint Anthony.

The presence of Mary, in her multiple representations, is not absent from the ex-votos.

Captain Mendes and his crew offer this representation to the Lord Jesus, inscribing in it the fulfilled blessing.

The perilous situation of the ship, shaken amidst the tempestuous sea. Salvation is only possible due to the divine intervention of Saint Philomena.

Master João Pereira and his companions, being on the sea and with almost no hope of life, promised this miraculous image. If they survived, they would offer a mass and a sermon to Jesus. 

These are small, big stories that narrated by the ex-votos: journeys on the high seas, fishing, the transport of cereals... They are time and space. They embody people.

The tiny dinghy hints at the precarity of human life before the divine.

The strength of faith in Lord Jesus of the Navigators is present in the chromatic dynamism of this ex-voto. Once again translated through the eyes of João Cazaux and where we sense the fear, the impotence and brilliance of faith experienced by the crew of the "Violeta".

A rough sea, a dark sky, destroyed sails, lost boats ... and the prayer to Our Lady of Atalaia ...

Painting with great documental value for the fact that it is one of the few existing representations of the old haystacks in the Lavos Coast and the fishing ships of this area.

Domingos Sequeira (1768-1837), a highly regarded royal painter, is not usually known for the ex-votos he painted. The religious themes of his paintings constitute a relevant source for the study of the religious way of life of the time.

Miracle that Our Lady of the Rosary of the Castle performed to Captain Franco de Souza when he was going from Recife de Pernambuco to the city of Rio de Janeiro… 

In the Iberian context, from the 15th to the 19th century, it is common to find votive offerings in various formats that refer to events that occurred during oceanic voyages to Africa, America and Asia. 

Other Gazes highlight the anthropological nature of visual narratives. But also the surprising way, in which its authors try to materialize the violence of the waters, the problems of everyday life, the strangeness in the face of the unknown.

A coffin ascends heavenward, carrying a human figure holding a branch – symbol of the transience of earthly existence and the promise of an eternal life.

Miracle that the Good Jesus of the Prison did to Joaquim da Costa who, going on his yacht from Lisbon to Porto, found himself lost in the middle of a huge storm. Having turned to Our Good Jesus of the Prison, he soon gave him a calm sea.

Promise made to Our Lady of the Navigators / the teams of the Squadron / Portuguese of the Command / of the Marquis of Nisa / who now surrounds the Island / of Malta may God / help for the praise and / glory of the King/ and his Royal service. 

The visual representation and the way the narrative is presented allow this image to be classified as a votive painting.

In the articulation of the premises "Memory, Culture, Education" lies the question of cultural values. In it new concepts of heritage, translated into the plurality of values are considered as well as new ways of communication and dialogues between the past and the present.