Silver, oval amulet of St. Roch, for protection against cholera, artist of amulet unknown, French, 1800-1900

St Roch is the Catholic saint who has traditionally been invoked against the plague. He was said to be a Christian, born in the late 1200s, who went on a pilgrimage at the time of a plague epidemic. He helped nurse those with the disease and was believed to cure them of plague until he caught the disease himself.

To prevent the spread of the disease, he went to the woods alone. The story describes how a dog looked after him and brought him bread. As such, St Roch is almost always shown accompanied by a dog.

Once plague was no longer a threat in Europe, St Roch’s protection was transferred to other diseases. St Roch is invoked against cholera, epidemics and skin diseases. This amulet was created in France during the 1800s, at a time when there were multiple cholera epidemics.

Amulets have been worn for thousands of years to protect the wearer from illness, ill fortune and bad luck.