In their everyday prayers and pledges, people turned to saints as protectors against the various perils of life. Many buildings and artworks, such as churches, chapels, paintings or liturgical objects, originate as thank-you tokens, perhaps as a result of having been saved from some mortal danger such as plague. In the quest for eternal remembrance and presentation of the virtues, the bourgeoisie decorated their houses with allegorical paintings and their churches with votive images and epitaphs. Commonly, epitaphs were placed in parish churches, where, in general, the bourgeoisie were interned or buried within the grounds. Splendid donated artefacts are also found in churches.