Description
Saint Roch (1295-1327) a French noble who early developed a sympathy for the poor and sick; he was reported to have been born with the image of a red cross on his breast. Orphaned at the age of 20, he gave his fortune to the poor, and became a mendicant pilgrim. While on pilgrimage Roch encountered an area afflicted with plague. He stayed to minister to the sick, and affected several miraculous cures, usually by making the sign of the cross over them but contracted the plague himself. He walked into a forest to die, but was befriended by a dog. The dog fed him with food stolen from his master’s table, and Roch eventually recovered. When Roch returned to Montpellier, he was arrested for being a spy. Roch languished in jail for five years never mentioning his noble connections, cared for by an angel until his death.
