The Lives of the Saints through 100 Masterpieces

Rock

The Lives of the Saints 190 Rock August 16 Representations of Saint Rock can be jarring if his story is not known. Most often as a statue, and at times in paintings, he appears entirely dressed except for his thigh, which is uncovered up to his groin so as to better show his pestilent lymph node! Rock could have been the patron of modern-day trekkers, hitchhikers , and adventure tourists. Born to a rich family of Montpellier, he preferred the life of a hermit, but of the type that the Eastern Church called a gyrovague, an itinerant monk. Always wandering, from pilgrim site to pilgrim site, his vagabond’s life eventually led him to Rome. After about 20 years, precisely in 1348, the Black Death ravaged Europe in recurring waves. It claimed 25 million victims, that is, a third of the European population. Rock devoted himself unreservedly to the care of the afflicte until one day, on his way back to Montpellier, when he himself was stricken with the disease. He retired to a forest where, each day, a dog would bring him bread taken from his master, a landlord of the area. When at last he was healed by an angel, he returned to his home. However, his uncle, to whom he had entrusted his fortune, failed to recognize him and, taking him for a spy, threw him into prison where he died. Especially invoked during epidemics, Saint Rock remained very popular until the last great wave of cholera struck Europe at the end of the nineteenth century. The recent emergence of new contagious maladies logically should make him relevant again in our day. Attributed to Carlo Crivelli (ca. 1430–1495) Saint Rock Galleria dell’Accademia, Venice ...