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Saints Cosmas and Damian are believed to have been martyred in approximately 303, during the Diocletian persecutions of Christians. They were martyred in Cyrrhus, a city in NNW Syria on the border with Turkey. David Farmer observes that the saints fame spread from a “famous basilica” built in their honor in that city which was founded in 300 by one of Alexander the Great’s generals. Cyrrhus’ ruins are located about 70km northwest of Aleppo. Virtually nothing specific is known about these two brothers – only the story of their martyrdom. Cosmas and Damian are patron saints of physicians. They are said to have ministered to the sick, both people and animals, and did so as acts of charity. They were martyred for being refusing to deny their Christian faith. Fra Angelico painted a series of frescoes depicting the saints’ gruesome martyrdom – by torture, fire, crucifixion, and beheading. The image produced on a 2010 Vatican City stamp (Scott 1450) is from a Vatican Apostolic Library manuscript to commemorate the reopening of the library after extensive renovation. Sts. Cosmas and Damian’s name are recalled in the Roman Canon of the Mass. References: • David Farmer, Oxford Dictionary of Saints • Attwater and John, Penguin Dictionary of Saints • Dawn Marie Beutner, Saints Article Links: • James C Hamilton, "Vatican City New Issues: Sept - Dec 2009": Vatican Notes, Vol. 59, No. 347, pp. 18-24 (2010) | |||||
