Day 3 / Bishop and Saints
Unidentified artist, Bishop Saint, Saint Roch, and Saint Sebastian, c. 1460–1480. Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia
WHEN I STAND BEFORE THEE AT THE DAY’S END, THOU SHALT SEE MY SCARS AND KNOW THAT I HAD MY WOUNDS AND ALSO MY HEALING.
—RABINDRANATH TAGORE
This late medieval panel painting spotlights three saints who were believed to offer protection from the plague and illuminates the path toward healing. At center, Saint Roch gestures to a scar from his own illness. He recovered with the help of a faithful dog who licked his sores and brought him bread. An angel affirms this miracle by extending a hand in blessing in reference to the Eucharist. To the right is the early Christian martyr Saint Sebastian, depicted in two different chronological moments: in the foreground, we see him in the afterlife holding a bow, symbolic of his martyrdom and immortality. In the distant hilly background, we witness his execution by a volley of arrows. The bishop to the left—likely Saint Remigius—suggests this panel was commissioned by church patrons to solicit the saints’ protection against plague or to express gratitude for their survival. At a time when literacy was rare and a resurgence of the bubonic plague was spreading across Europe, visually sharing the stories of the plague saints through this artwork would have strongly resonated with viewers.
In the post-Byzantine church, religious art was a vehicle to bear witness to the burdens of the world and a way to navigate one’s own suffering. The viewing experience was both emotional and instructive, a demonstration that faith could be protective and restorative in illness and crisis. Similarly, the arts make visible the powerful forces that we cling to for support in moments of uncertainty. Like the saints in this panel, the arts mediate between despair and hope, the intimate and universal.
reflections
How can this depiction of Saint Roch, regardless of your spiritual beliefs, help us find meaning in suffering and afflictions?
What lessons from this image can you use to guide your own path to healing?
How does this painting bring solace to you right now?
Can we see our physical or emotional scars not as symbols of weakness, but as symbols of strength?
Sources
Amy Gillette (Barnes Foundation) in conversation with Lyndsay Hoy, June 3, 2021.
“Unidentified artist Bishop Saint, Saint Roch, and Saint Sebastian.” Barnes Foundation. Accessed October 14, 2021. https://collection.barnesfoundation.org/objects/5459/BishopSaint-Saint-Roch-and-Saint-Sebastian.
