Saints Cosmas and Damian
Two brother physicians who took no fees, martyred in Cilicia
- Rank
- Saint
- Kind
- Martyr
- Life
- d. ~287
- Era
- 3rd century
- Feast
- 26 September
- Countries
- Syria, Türkiye
Life story
According to early accounts, Cosmas and Damian were twin brothers, born in Arabia, who practised as physicians at Aegeae, a city in Cilicia in what is now south-eastern Turkey. They took no payment for treating the sick, and so were called anargyroi in Greek, meaning those without silver. Much of their biography comes from later collections of stories and should be read with caution.
Tradition says that in the persecution of the emperor Diocletian the governor Lysias had the brothers arrested and ordered them to give up their faith. They refused, were tortured and were finally beheaded. Sources add that three other brothers, Anthimus, Leontius and Euprepius, were martyred at about the same time. The year of their death is not agreed, with some sources giving 287 and others around 303.
Veneration of the two spread early. The emperor Justinian I rebuilt their church in Constantinople, and Pope Felix IV built a church in their honour in Rome, today the church of Santi Cosma e Damiano beside the Roman Forum. Their names appear in the First Eucharistic Prayer, the Roman Canon.
Their feast in Rome used to be 27 September, and since 1969 it has been 26 September because 27 September belongs to Vincent de Paul. The Eastern churches keep them on other days, including 1 November. Because the earliest sources are late and mix history with pious story, scholars generally accept only the basic outline: two physician brothers of Cilicia who died as martyrs and whose cult became widespread. The Greek and Latin traditions also differ on which brothers are meant, since several pairs of saints with these names are known in the East.
Works and witness
- Practised medicine at Aegeae in Cilicia without taking fees
- Arrested by the governor Lysias under Diocletian and beheaded
- Justinian I rebuilt their church in Constantinople
- Pope Felix IV built a church in their honour in Rome
- Their names are in the Roman Canon of the Mass
Patron of
Physicians, Surgeons, Pharmacists
Saints from the same country
References
- Martyrologium Romanum
- Catholic Encyclopedia (New Advent) – Sts. Cosmas and Damian
- Bose Ecumenical Martyrology
Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.