An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or a divinity, given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ex voto suscepto, "from the vow made") or in gratitude or devotion. The term is usually restricted to Christian examples.

[Lat.: 'by reason of a vow']. Term for a panel painting, usually small, or, more rarely, a statue, donated as a token of remembrance, entreaty or thanks by individual believers or communities and hung at sites of pilgrimage or holy places.

Ex-votos (from the Latin phrase ex-voto suscepto, meaning 'from the vow made') were – and still are – carried as devotional objects and to give thanks for granted wishes, prayers and intentions. The cult of the Sacred Heart can be traced to the 11th century.

An ex-voto is created when an individual's prayers for a miracle are answered. After praying to a saint for a miraculous healing, an individual would commission a local artist to create a small painting that would be hung in the local church as a public testimony of that individual's faith and gratitude for a miracle.