The Ex-Votos of Sister Pilgrimages in an Iberian Border Community - Devotional Materialities

Abstract

Since time immemorial, pilgrims have flocked to various pilgrimages seeking divine aid in the hope of healing from their ailments or deliverance from certain death. The human being, when faced with imminent death or a threatened life, immediately appeals for a miracle, invoking some higher protection, be it God or any other Saint of their devotion. These miracles form a source of expression that perpetuates over time, in materialized forms of petition or thanksgiving. These materialities, designated as ex-votos, "miracles," or even "painted tablets" or votive panels, have their origins lost in time.The proposal made in this paper is a journey through the territory of Penamacor, in the Portuguese borderland, exploring the four main Marian sanctuaries in search of these ex-votos, perceiving them through time and space to achieve an analysis of the deeply rural and Christian communities of the 18th and 19th centuries in this region. Many of these communities remain crystallized to this day in these territories, which are characterized by low population density and are distant from central powers.