Saint Roche

Today is the memorial of a memorable saint. Although he is not well known in the United States, Saint Roche (or Roch or Roque or Rocco, depending on where you are) is particularly beloved in Spain, Italy, and France, especially those places near a Camino route. In fact, he is usually depicted as a medieval pilgrim, which sometimes leads to confusion with Saint James.

He lived in the late 13th / early 14th century and was probably born in or near Montpellier, which at that time was part of the Spanish Kingdom of Majorca. After the death of his parents, he entered the Franciscan Third Order and set out on a pilgrimage for Rome.

At the time, Italy was in the grips of a deadly plague. He tended to the sick in various hospitals en route to and in Rome, where many miraculous healings were attributed to him.

Inevitably, he himself caught the plague. He withdrew to a life as a hermit in the woods near Piacenza. There, he was tended to by a dog owned by a local nobleman. The dog licked his sores and brought him bread. This is why in images and statues of the saint, he is usually accompanied by a dog. It’s the chief way you can distinguish images of Saint Roche from those of Saint James.

The nobleman followed his dog to Roche’s hut and brought the saint back to his home to finish his recovery.

On his way back to Montpellier, Roche was arrested as a spy and imprisoned. After five years in prison, he died on 16 August 1327. It was only when the body was being prepared for burial that somebody recognized him.

He is a patron saint of plague victims, the ill, dogs, invalids, and falsely accused people.

On last year’s long Camino, I had a particularly memorable day thanks to the intercession (or at least influence) of the saint. You can read about that here.