Saints Cosmas & Damian, twin brothers from Arabia, are celebrated early Christian martyrs renowned for their dedication to healing in the port town of Aegea (present-day Ayas) located in the Gulf of Issus, then part of the Roman province of Syria. Their refusal to charge for their medical services earned them the moniker “anargyroi,” or “The Silverless.” This act of selflessness reportedly converted many to Christianity.

During Emperor Diocletian’s reign, when Christians were heavily persecuted, these brothers faced arrest on the orders of the Cilician Prefect, Lysias. Despite enduring extreme torture, including crucifixion, stoning, and being shot with arrows, they remained unwavering in their faith. They ultimately met their end by beheading. Their younger brothers – Anthimus, Leontius, and Euprepius – who were always by their side, also shared in this martyrdom.

One of their most notable miracles was the transplantation of a leg from a deceased Ethiopian to replace a man’s diseased limb. This extraordinary tale has been depicted in numerous artworks over the ages.

As symbols of medical devotion, Saints Cosmas and Damian are often depicted with symbols related to healthcare. Recognized as the patron saints of physicians and surgeons, they are mentioned in the Canon of the Mass and the Litany of the Saints.

Their purported skulls hold a revered spot in Madrid’s convent of the Clares, having been there since 1581. These relics were generously donated by Maria, the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

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23 COMMENTS

  1. I pray that my patrn saints (Cosmas and Damian) interceed for me concering my dearly need this point in time. May i receive a miraculous divine intervention concerning what i have been praying for. Amen

  2. Sts Cosmas & Damien, please intercede with our Blessed Mother for my wife, Barbara and our friend Pat who are suffering from serious illnesses. Amen.

  3. St Cosmas and Damian, interceed for me and all the sickness i am going through i don’t want to sick anymore i want all the illness to leave me in Jesus name i pray

  4. Heal my brother who will be seeing a physician by morning…Empower the healer with your healing power dear Sts. Cosmas and Damian. Heal my mother who have suffered alot of ailments in life…it is needless to mention what to heal for you already know by your Divine powers what i am praying for…Thank Jesus..Praise you Jesus…have Mercy Jesus of Nazareth, the wonder healer. Sts.Cosmas and Damian intercede for us…Thank you…Thank you…!!!

  5. Please be present to our cousin Les this day. He has given up hope and knows his illness will take his life soon. Please embrace him in your arms as he passes from this world into the kingdom of heaven. Hear my prayers for him which he is not able to make. Amen.

  6. Please be present to our cousin Les this day. He has given up hope and knows his illness will take his life soon. Please embrace him in your arms as he passes from this world into the kingdom of heaven. Amen.

  7. St Cosmos and St Damian please pray for my husband who will be undergoing a PET scan tomorrow to see whether the melanoma he had removed has spread elsewhere in his body.

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  9. Pray for my children, my grandchildren, my sons, their wives and all family and friends…..and a special pray…for those who have no one to pray for them……

  10. Ecce Crucem Domini!
    Fugite partes adversae!
    Vicit Leo de tribu Juda,
    Radix David! Alleluia!

    Lord God the Father Almighty, please strengthen bonds between brothers, as is evidenced in this account of the lives of Saints Cosmas and Damian. Bless my identical twin sons, and their elder brother, to be devoted to each other and united in the care for their younger sister with special needs, that I might die in the peace of Christ Crucified. Amen.

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