St Roch

St Roch (1293–1327) was born into a wealthy family in Montpellier in France. After his parents died, he distributed the money he had inherited among hospitals and the poor, and went on a pilgrimage to Rome. On his way, he tended people suffering from the plague, but caught it himself. He was looked after by his faithful dog, which brought him food. The portrayal of St Roch in folk sculptures complies with the usual interpretation of his life. He is shown as a pilgrim, dressed in a tunic, a cloak and a cape, either with or without a hat, with a bag over his shoulder and a pilgrim’s staff in his hand, and with the other hand he is showing a sore on his leg. His coat bears a cross (a symbol of devotion), and sometimes a shell (the sign of a pilgrim), or a skull and crossbones (a symbol of death). Sometimes he has one hand pressed to his chest, symbolising Christian love. Beside the figure of St Roch, there is a figure of a dog with a loaf of bread in its mouth, or a dog licking a sore on his leg. Folk sculptures often come down to us with their attributes missing, but even so, he is easily recognisable from his pilgrim’s clothes and his gesture pointing to the sore on his leg.

The hagiography and iconography of this saint, portraying him as a pilgrim in traveller’s clothes and showing his leg, formed the concept of St Roch as protecting people and animals from infectious disease, in particular from the plague, and able to heal sores and other ailments. This concept also took root in Lithuania. Sculptures of St Roch, as the protector of travellers, were put in roadside shrines, in dangerous places and beside paths in forests.

Text author Skaidrė Urbonienė

St Roch (1293–1327) was born into a wealthy family in Montpellier in France. After his parents died, he distributed the money he had inherited among hospitals and the poor, and went on a pilgrimage to Rome. On his way, he tended people suffering from the plague, but caught it himself. He was looked after by his faithful dog, which brought him food. The portrayal of St Roch in folk sculptures complies with the usual interpretation of his life. He is shown as a pilgrim, dressed in a tunic, a cloak and a cape, either with or without a hat, with a bag over his shoulder and a pilgrim’s staff in his hand, and with the other hand he is showing a sore on his leg. His coat bears a cross (a symbol of devotion), and sometimes a shell (the sign of a pilgrim), or a skull and crossbones (a symbol of death). Sometimes he has one hand pressed to his chest, symbolising Christian love. Beside the figure of St Roch, there is a figure of a dog with a loaf of bread in its mouth, or a dog licking a sore on his leg. Folk sculptures often come down to us with their attributes missing, but even so, he is easily recognisable from his pilgrim’s clothes and his gesture pointing to the sore on his leg.

The hagiography and iconography of this saint, portraying him as a pilgrim in traveller’s clothes and showing his leg, formed the concept of St Roch as protecting people and animals from infectious disease, in particular from the plague, and able to heal sores and other ailments. This concept also took root in Lithuania. Sculptures of St Roch, as the protector of travellers, were put in roadside shrines, in dangerous places and beside paths in forests.

Text author Skaidrė Urbonienė