Ex-voto

An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or to a divinity. It is given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ex voto suscepto, "from the vow made") or in gratitude or devotion. Ex-votos are placed in a church or chapel where the worshiper seeks grace or wishes to give thanks. Father Cícero Romão Batista (1844 -1934), was a Brazilian Roman Catholic priest who became a spiritual leader to the people of Northeastern Brazil. In the course of his ministry, he was accused of heresy by Church officials, eventually becoming suspended but not formally excommunicated. Batista has been declared a saint by the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church, and every year thousands of devotees go to the city of Juazeiro do Norte for annual peregrination.