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The Church of St Roch in Vico nel Lazio: from the Holy Cross to the Pilgrim Saint
The Church of San Rocco is located in the historic centre of Vico nel Lazio, a village in the Ernici Mountains in the province of Frosinone. This name is recent: until the late 19th century it was called the Church of Santa Croce (Holy Cross), as documented since 1581. At that time it was the seat of the Confraternity of the Most Holy Sacrament, whose members took care of the sick and maintained the hospital, active since 1228, beside the nearby chapel of Sant'Onofrio (St Onuphrius).
Expansion and the New Dedication
Between 1885 and 1895 the church was enlarged by approximately half, extending towards the altar. It was then dedicated to St Roch, the pilgrim saint invoked to combat epidemics. The cult was already rooted in Vico from the late 15th century: in the chapel adjoining the parish church of San Michele Arcangelo (Archangel St Michael), a fresco depicting him is still preserved. The church has housed a silver reliquary containing fragments of the Holy Cross since 1684.
What’s Inside
The high altar, dating from 1895, features a niche with the statue of St Roch, a throne and the reliquary of the saint. On either side are two painted angels. The vault preserves decorations from the same period. Today the church is run by the confraternity of the same name, which each year organises the feast of the co-patron saint on 16 August.
