St Roch

Roch (c. 1350-c. 1380) was born to a rich merchant family in the south of France in Montpellier, but became a hermit, and made a pilgrimage to Rome. While in Italy he caught the plague, and was fed by a dog, who is seen here licking one of the saint's infected sores. He was reputed to have miraculously cured those suffering from the plague, and people therefore frequently prayed before images of him to request his help. His cult was widespread in Europe in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and he is often depicted in sculptures and paintings in Spain, Italy, France and Germany. It has also been suggested that this sculpture could in fact depict St Lazarus, who has similar attributes and characteristics, but it seems more likely that this figure is indeed St Roch, whose cult is particularly associated with Iberia, and who is normally shown, as seen here, in the prime of life, whereas Lazarus is usually an elderly man.