Renaissance carved figure of Saint Roch with original polychrome surface. Measures 45 inches high including base. Figure is 15 inches wide and 10 inches deep. Base is 22 by 8 inches. Saint Roch, aka Rocco, Roque, and Rochus, was born in Montpellier, France in 1295. As a young man, he gave away his fortune to the poor and became a pilgrim, going to Rome and working among victims of the plague. Eventually, he contracted plague himself. He had wandered into a forest to suffer a lonely death when a dog appeared with a loaf of bread in its mouth. Miraculously, Roch survived and went on to help others survive. A dog was originally mounted to the base of the sculpture, but has been lost over the centuries. Roch points to the buboe (plaque wound) on his leg as a reminder of his miraculous recovery. Roch died in 1327 and was canonized a century later. He is the patron saint of dogs and invalids.

Antique Religious Items