Votive ship
A votive ship, sometimes called a church ship, is a ship model displayed in a church. As a rule, votive ships are constructed and given as gifts to the church by seamen and ship builders.[1] Votive ships are relatively common in churches in the Scandinavian countries Denmark,[2] Sweden, Norway[3] and Finland, as well as on Åland[4] and Faroe islands, but are known also to exist in Germany, the United Kingdom[5] and Spain.[2]
The practice of displaying model ships in churches stems from the Middle Ages and appears to have been known throughout Catholic Europe. The oldest known remaining votive ship is a Spanish ship model from the 15th century. A model ship originally displayed in Stockholm Cathedral but today in the Maritime Museum (Stockholm) dating from circa 1590 is the oldest surviving example in the Nordic countries.[2] Votive ships are quite common in France, in coastal towns (and in some inland ones as well) either as model ships (generally made by sailors after escaping a shipwreck ) or as paintigs (generally depicting some awkward situation) they are known under the Latin term of Ex-Voto (made after a vow). The church of Sainte Anne d'Auray in Brittany has the biggest French collection of marine ex-votos, but the practice even exends to the mediterranean French shores, including Corsica.
External links
Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons- Comprehensive bibliography at The Maritime History Virtual Archives
- Votive ships in Denmark Comprehensive list (in Danish)
- Comprehensive French site about marine ex-votos with extensive photograpic documentation
References
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