The sea, a stage for adventures and dangers, has always reflected the soul of sailors, driving them to seek a connection with the divine.  Maritime ex-votos , votive offerings that embody stories of the sea and of salvation, bear witness to this profound connection, shaped by faith, hope, and gratitude.

In this interview, Jacopo Brancati, photojournalist and maritime ethnologist, takes us on a journey to discover these hidden treasures, revealing their historical, artistic, and above all, spiritual significance. Through his words, we relive the storms faced by sailors, the prayers whispered in the dead of night, and the joy of rediscovered salvation. We explore the sanctuaries that house these votive offerings, admiring the beauty of the paintings and the figures that tell the story of the encounter between human need and God’s salvation. Brancati also tells us about the treasures kept in the Sanctuary of La Guardia, with its historically valuable votive offerings, and gives us a preview of his upcoming publications, in which he will present votive offerings from various Genoese sanctuaries, seeking to unveil the stories of the sea and of salvation they represent.

Dr. Brancati, could you tell us something about yourself?

“My name is Jacopo Brancati, I was born in Genoa, I have a degree in Political Science with a specialization in International Relations, and my undergraduate thesis on the secular nature of the French state led me to live between Italy and France. My passion for the sea was born in my childhood, influenced by family members who sailed. Genoa, a city historically devoted to the sea, has fueled my imagination of maritime voyages. Today I am a photojournalist and maritime ethnologist, with more than twenty years of experience in long-form photojournalism.”

What exactly does he do?

“I have undertaken missions for maritime museums, primarily in Scandinavia, documenting the life and work of nautical technical services in ports such as Genoa and piloting techniques on the frozen Baltic Sea. For the past ten years, I have dedicated myself to maritime historical heritage, both tangible, such as sailing ships, and intangible, such as construction, repair, and navigation techniques. Simultaneously, I have worked as a journalist for various specialized publications in Italy, France, and Finland, for which I conducted research on maritime votive offerings.”

What are maritime ex-votos?

“Maritime votive offerings are a small branch, so to speak, of votive offerings. They are considered somewhat special, as they represent paintings or models of ships, offered by someone who has received divine grace during a peril at sea. In Genoa, they are closely linked to Marian devotion. They are a testament to faith and hope, an acknowledgment of the smallness of man in the face of the grandeur of nature.”

What happens in the flow of action?

“There is an initial moment of danger at sea, then the plea for divine intercession, the grace received and the person saved, and finally, the offering of the votive offering as thanks. It is not an exchange, but a testimony of faith and gratitude. A kind of pact is made, a supplication; that is where the situation matters because it is the moment when faith has its strength, which goes hand in hand with hope in divine intercession. Then the survivor returns. The first thing they do is go to the Sanctuary to bring an object to make tangible the bond between themselves and God. The votive offering is the materialization of faith and hope in this object, which in turn becomes a temporal space, a moment, a religious and social symbol.”

Are there any particular characteristics of maritime votive offerings?

“The first distinctive feature, which fully differentiates it from the others, is that, while ex-votos are mainly individual, the maritime one is collective, since most of the time it is offered by the crew, that is, by the group of people who were saved. As a second observation, the maritime ex-voto never represents the moment of rescue, but rather the moment of difficulty and the desperate need for the Virgin’s intercession for the crew’s salvation.”

What are the different types of maritime votive offerings?

“I would say there are four types: The first can be defined as propitiatory and occurs when the votive offering is made before a voyage, by visiting a Sanctuary and bringing something (a photo of the ship or the crew) to ask for divine protection for a safe journey. The second is the gratulatory type, offered after receiving a grace in a moment of danger. The third type is commemorative, offered to remember and give thanks at a distance of time for divine protection. The fourth type we can call supererogatory, offered spontaneously as a general expression of gratitude, not for having received something, but simply out of thanksgiving. For example, there is a particular votive offering at San Francesco da Paola in Genoa, in which a sailor thanks Saint Francis for having guaranteed him an entire career without incidents or shipwrecks.”

You have done extensive research on the subject, so can you tell us how the ex-voto has evolved over time?

“The earliest votive offerings in our Genoese sanctuaries date back to the 17th century, and subsequent ones extend into the 20th. During this period, the relationship between humanity and God evolved. Initially, the painted votive offerings were divided into two equivalent spaces: one earthly, representing human drama, and the other celestial, representing divine intercession. This division underscored the importance of faith and hope, highlighting humanity’s insignificance in the face of divine grandeur. Some votive offerings even featured a double celestial space. Over time, the representation changed, reflecting the growing reliance on technology and industry. However, the plea for help remained constant. The art of votive offerings, though seemingly simple, is a valuable social and religious testament to trust and hope.”

Who made the ex-votos?

“The creation of votive offerings involves different figures: the petitioner, who could paint or commission the work; the painter, who often specialized in marine scenes; and the public scribe, who wrote the explanation. Over time, with the evolution of ships, there was a specialization of painters.”

What is so special about the maritime votive offerings at the Sanctuary of the Guardia in Genoa?

“The Sanctuary of the Guardia, important to the Genoese, houses maritime votive offerings of great historical value, such as those relating to the tragedy of the Andrea Doria and the drama of the Vulcania. These votive offerings, often collective, tell stories of faith and hope, and some are difficult to interpret, thus offering clues for new research.”