St Roch Visiting the Plague Hospice

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by Henk Bekker

St Roch Visiting the Plague Hospice

The main altar is dedicated to St Wolfgang, the patron saint of shepherds. On his left is St Sebastian and on his right St Rochus. Scenes from the lives of these two saints are painted on the outside of the altar wings. They were amongst others seen as protectors against the plague and other diseases and thus frequently invoked during much of the Middle Ages. The painting of St Roch visiting a hospital is considered the oldest depiction of a plague hospice in the German-speaking world.