Saint Roch

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Saint Roch’s celebrity derives from his reputation for curing victims of plague, having himself been miraculously cured of the disease. His representation here is in keeping with his legend: the wealthy native of Montpellier wears clothing that is richly colored and patterned with gold, and also the broad-brimmed hat of a religious pilgrim en route to Rome (symbolized by the crossed keys). On his thigh is a bulbous open sore indicative of plague. At his side is the loyal dog that helped nurse the saint back to health by bringing him bread and licking his sores. The saint once held a walking stick. Saint Roch’s fame endured well beyond the first outbreak of plague in the mid-fourteenth century. Indeed, the elaborately painted costume and accurately rendered anatomy of this image herald the Renaissance.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.

Metropolitan Museum of Art