Église Saint-Michel 2

Église Saint-Michel 2

Today I am sharing the last of the photos taken inside St. Michael's Church (Ėglise Saint-Michel) located in the Old Town of Villefranche, France.

The first photo shows a view of the church steeple quite a few steps up the hills of Villefranche. Other photos include views of the arches and dome over the alter, artwork with ornate frames as well as another wooden sculpture, the second I observed in this church.

Yesterday I mentioned the sculpture of a person with a dog with an odd shaped head. A friend of mine sent an explanation which I would like to share:

The third photo in today's mail-out show, the one with the dog, is of Saint Roch. He was from Montpellier in France and performed miraculous cures of the plague during his lifetime.

Eventually he contracted the plague himself and withdrew to a forested area to die. There he was befriended by a dog which brought him food, essentially keeping him alive. His plague was eventually cured and he lived on to perform more miracles, eventually returning to France where he was thrown in jail as a spy. He languished in jail for five years, reportedly, and eventually died there.

He is always shown with the dog and pointing to the outbreak of plague or cancer on his thigh. Sometimes, too, he is shown attired as a pilgrim, though still in the same pose.

There is area of, I think Quebec City, called Saint Roch and, of course, the famous RCMP ship, the first ever to navigate the Northwest Passage, was called the Saint Roch.

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