The ex-voto is a symbol of faith and gratitude. Very often it is linked to a fortune at sea (a ship lost in a storm or stranded on the rocks). When the sailor found himself in danger from the raging elements, he dedicated himself to the Virgin Mary, Our Lady, usually the one from his native village. This is why, on his return, he would offer her, as a token of thanks, a replica of the boat, a diorama, a painting, or even a piece of the ship, the rigging or simply a rope or a piece of rope. This is how chapels and churches inherited ex-votos that the sailors or their families made themselves.