[The Plague of 1478 in Brescia from Giacomo Melga's diary]

A severe epidemic of bubonic plague devastated Brescia in 1478. We became aware of the tragic events via a manuscript preserved in the town's Queriniana Library after it had been rediscovered and brought to light by the well-known local historian, Paolo Guerrini, who also edited the complete transcription. An important symptom of the disease, as reported from the beginning of a notary's dramatic description, was a splitting headache, described by people as mal del zuchot or del mazzucco. The disease appeared slowly at the beginning of March and spread like wildfire in July; the epidemic continued in its serious form for several months until July the following year. It is worth noting that at that time in Brescia popular devotion started to be paid to Saint Rocco, the French pilgrim invoked as patron saint against the plague. From the town, devotion to this Saint spread throughout the Province. In the space of a few years there was no parish nor village where Saint Rocco was not accepted among its patron saints; an oratory or altar was erected in his honour.