[Gocamino] Iconographic doubt

[Jethess777@aol.com]

No, it is St. Rocco that has the wound on his leg, not the dog.   
Many legends exist about St. Rocco, one of my favorite saints because he is 
always shown with a dog (I'm a big-time pooch lover).   
Summary of his encounter with the dog: 
While on a pilgrimage in Italy, Roch (he was French and this is the French 
spelling) encountered an area whose residents were afflicted with the plague. He 
stayed to minister to the sick, and affected several miraculous cures, 
usually by making the sign of the cross over them, but contracted the plague 
himself, as evident with the wound. He walked into a forest to die, but was 
befriended by a dog. The dog fed him with food from his master's table, and Roch 
eventually recovered.   
Read on for an account of his life that I found on-line.   
http://www.sanrocco.org/Stories.html

 Saint Rocco was born of noble parentage about 1340 A.D. in Montpellier, 
France. At birth it was noted that he had a red cross-shaped birthmark on the left 
side of his chest. As a young child, San Rocco showed great devotion to God 
and the Blessed mother. At an early age, his parents died leaving him an orphan 
under the care of his uncle, the Duke of Montpellier. Soon after, San Rocco 
distributed his wealth among the poor and took a vow of poverty.
 San Rocco dressed in the clothes of a pilgrim and departed for Rome. At that 
time, Italy was stricken with a rampant disease. San Rocco cured many of this 
dreaded disease by praying for them and making the sign of the cross.
 During his travels, he too contracted the plague which was evident by an 
open sore on his leg. Rocco was banished from the city and took refuge in a cave. 
Here he slept on leaves and drank water from a small stream. Miraculously a 
dog that refused to eat, faithfully brought him bread as a means of sustenance. 
The dog used to leave a nearby castle and the Lord of this castle having a 
curious nature followed this dog into the woods and discovered Rocco. The 
nobleman had pity on Rocco and brought him to his castle where Rocco was cured.

San Rocco traveled through northern Italy for two or three more years before 
returning to his birthplace in France. So weak and sick from suffering, the 
townspeople did not recognize him and he was thrown into jail as a spy without 
any proof. But yet he was kept in prison for five years. On August 16, 1378, a 
guard entered his cell and found San Rocco near death. The dungeon was 
illuminated with a blue light radiating from his body. Upon hearing this, the 
Governor demanded to know San Rocco's identity. San Rocco faintly replied, I am your 
nephew Rocco. Only one thing could prove that, so he had him disrobed and the 
red cross-like mark was visible on the left side of his chest. The Governor 
and the townspeople present in the cell then believed. A voice from paradise was 
heard announcing that San Rocco's soul had merited immortal glory in Heaven. 
Even after his death, San Rocco performed many miracles.
 Saint Rocco is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church as the protector 
against the plague and all contagious diseases. The statue of Saint Rocco is 
considered unique among theologians because of his pose.   It is most unusual 
because it depicts him with his left hand pointing to an open sore on his left leg. 
Few images of saints expose any afflictions or handicaps. His body is enclosed 
in a glass tomb in the church of San Rocco in Venice, Italy. We commemorate 
the death of this great follower of Christ on August 16th of each year.

Also interesting is this account of how the story of St. Rocco is known:
The oldest "Life of Saint Rocco" was written in Italian, probably by his 
friend and follower Gothard Palastrelli of Plaisance. The original is lost, but 
the Nuremberg library owns the translation of this text in German dating from 
1484.
 Besides, a Venetian aristocrat and governor of Brescia in Lombardy, 
Francesco Diedo, collected several oral and written versions in a biography that he 
published in 1484.
 It would be better to call it a "hagiography", that is, an edifying account 
where legend blends with the supernatural in a story.
 In 1494, Hercules Albiflorius, from the town of Udine, published another 
life. These texts--the oldest, because numerous accounts exist--have allowed 
modern historians to determine the principal events and dates in the life of Saint 
Rocco.