Saint Roch is often mistaken for Santiago (Saint James) on the Camino
He was a favourite in the Middle Ages as he suffered and recovered from the plague. His legend describes how he did not starve to death because a dog brought him bread as he recovered in insolation, and licked his wounds eventually curing him.
The wound on his leg is a festered bubo caused by the bubonic plague. After recovering from the plague, he returned home to Montpellier and was imprisoned for being a spy. He eventually died in prison.
Saint Roch was also a mendicant pilgrim, who went to Rome but never made it to Santiago de Compostela. Thus, the scallop shells that often adorn his cloak and hat are inaccurate.
So next time you see a pilgrim saint in a church on the Camino, if there’s a dog and the saint his pointing to a wound on his leg, despite the scallop shells, it’s Saint Roch!
