The plague as elementary life threat of medieval man what is man, when the death with a such brutal violence, a cross-border obscenity, if death is an Armaggedon pulls people to thousands with them? This is the question that you had to be at that time, because bearing in mind the fact that you understood the doctors as Primus of medicine and disguised them later as useless quack, with long coats and macabre beak masks, who themselves had to rows look death in the eye, enttarnten. And the Church and her representatives were what was most needed population, not pastors. The Government was completely overwhelmed and many priests on the ground had only the escape as their only thoughts. This was probably to escape even for large sections of the population, the einleuchtenste ability of the plague. Other people not fled, but enjoyed themselves according to the motto: if I must die anyway, why have not a bit of fun.
Both escape and Epicureanism, also like them so understandable, were of course not very honorable and even unchristian to. There were however other possibilities with the plague to deal, at least spiritually. Many people are, but not abandoned but from the Church of their faith. If God punishes, there must be a reason for it. Appease you can him only, where even more intensely going after his faith. Were the priest as a direct contact, so they turned to the very revered Saints, and especially Mary, God’s mother.
Who could ask for the best grace as his mother? The plague was often represented as arrow fire by God and Mary as Protectress of souls from the arrows. Saint Sebastian was sentenced to execution by arrows as a Roman soldier (and then saved) been. This was at least visually so Maria and Sebastian the candidates to prevent God’s wrath. Another popular contender was the Holy Rochus, who was devoted to the healing of the sick, and as Trademark in the femur had a swelling, which could easily be interpreted as plague bump. The Flagellants had a slightly bizarre kind of God to implore mercy. They believed God’s wrath to be able to appease by self-flagellation. Saw the Church however its monopoly position in danger, after all, these were a way to God is found, the Flagellantentum was, although only a relatively brief appearance popular with the population. Thomas Krabusch