Roch, St

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Roch, St (c.1350 to c.80), hermit, much invoked against the plague; he is said to have caught the plague himself and to have recovered while alone in the woods in Piacenza, where he was brought food by a dog. He is often shown with a plague sore on his leg, or accompanied by a dog with a loaf of bread in its mouth. He is patron saint of invalids and prisoners, and his feast day is 16 August.

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