Patron of Dogs and Dog Lovers.

St. Roch was on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land when he came across a town in Northern Italy that was suffering from the plague. He stayed to nurse the victims and eventually contracted the plague himself. He went into the forest so he would not infect anyone. A dog came and licked his wounds clean. He recovered. During the middle ages people placed 'Viva St. Roch' above their doors to ward off the plague.

"St Roch, you must have been very kind to have such a loyal companion.
I pray to you, keep my beloved dog(s) safe from all harm in their adventures.
May they always return home, be healthy, happy and never know any of man's cruelties."

Pocket - 1 1/2" x 2 3/4"

About the Artist

Lynn Garlick

 started carving, painting, and producing her retablos in 1993. Her workshop is located in the high desert town of Taos, New Mexico, a landscape richly steeped in religious iconography and history. The retablo, or ʻboard behind the alterʼ, was originally created in New Mexico in the 1800ʼs in response to the lack of Bibles and Icons being sent from the church in Rome. The Santero (saint maker) painted retablos from pigment collected and ground from the local surroundings. The boards were hand hewed usually of ponderosa pine or tin. The practice has carried down through the generations and is still done this way today. Lynn paints her originals retablos on traditional pine boards carving and then paints them. To create her production work the images are mounted on baltic birch.