The spirituality of the Maltese corsairs : valorising the ex-votos at the church of Madonna tal-Ħerba, Birkirkara, as a special interest visitor attraction in Malta

Abstract

V.F.G.A; Votum Fecit et Gratiam Accepit (a vow made and a grace received) written at the bottom corner of Catholic ex-voto offerings encompasses the meaning of what they represent and the story each one tells. The stories ex-votos have to tell are a fantastic journey to the past revealing the reason for the vow made and in what way was the grace recieved. They are concrete manifestations of past personal faith and devotion but what they depict goes beyond the stylised images of near death experiences. The details reflect deeply rooted cultural values, conceps and historical meaningful encounters. The small framed rough images from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries show the history of mentalities being manifested in a structured form under the blessing of the Roman Catholic Church. What was depiced and stated on each votive offering by the artisan on commission by the individual who made the vow and recieved a grace, tells us the story of a fearful experience, allows us to understand the context, reasons and social-religious constrains that forced the individual to be fearful and cry out for salvation in faith. These depictions offer us primary insights of long gone natural and built environments, historic events and through archival research one can carefully match names and dates to find references and detailed accounts of the experiece depicted. The small shrine of Madonna tal-Ħerba, once a pilgrimage site for many devotees and now a popular location for Maltese weddings, boasts of a large ex-voto collection which the author has studied only a few. The community yearns for the collection to be curated and valorised and thus the author has helped to develop an exhibition concept for this collection and the stories they tell. This church is not on the mass tourist itinerary but using theories from the concept of Sustainable Tourism, the author has carefully planned out the issues and possibilities that could allow this church, with a permanant ex-voto exhibition, to be placed on the tourist ‘to see’ list.