Poor souls in purgatory

Four poor souls, sculptures rising from the fire, wood, 19th century. Though there are no actual references to purgatory in the Bible, the conviction arose that there had to be a place in the afterlife where sinners could undergo the punishments for their sins in order to reach eternal salvation after all. It was believed that this path could be hastened by living relatives and by the deceased themselves during their lifetime through prayer, pilgrimages and indulgences (especially donations and offerings).