I have heard it conjectured that St Roch was in fact Johannes Rupescissa,
the Joachite prophet imprisoned in Avignon during the 1340s. A number of
the little details (such as the wounded leg, and the association with the
plague) appear to match. Certainly, Rupescissa was never canonized, nor was
he ever papally sanctioned, but might a popular cult not have survived
nonetheless? Any thoughts?
Louisa A. Burnham
Northwestern University
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