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 From the Vatican Library Reopening Issue of 2010 Saints Cosmos and Damian (Scott 1450) The Memorial of Saints Cosmas and Damian, the twin-brother physicians and martyrs, is celebrated tomorrow, on September 26. There are no stamps which specifically honor these saints, but the stamp above comes from the 2010 issue to celebrate the reopening of the Vatican Library following an extensive renovation. The image of the brothers is taken from a Vatican Apostolic Library manuscript. Very little is known about the early lives of Saints Cosmas and Damian. They are believed to have been born in Arabia sometime in the mid to late third century and went on to study and practice science and medicine in Syria and Cilicia (modern-day Turkey). They have been dubbed the “The Moneyless Healers” since they practiced medicine and surgery as an act of Christian charity and not for pay. As a result of their selfless care of the needy, they attracted many to the Christian faith. During the reign of Roman Emperor Diocletian, the local governor arrested the brothers due to their fame and their Christian faith. They were subjected to trials and tortures before they were executed by beheading, probably in the year 303 AD in the Roman province of Cilicia (modern-day Yumurtalık, Adana, Turkey). The veneration of Cosmas and Damian quickly spread following their deaths and, as early as the 4th century, churches dedicated to the twin saints were established in Jerusalem, Egypt and Mesopotamia. Their relics, deemed miraculous, were initially buried in the city of Cyrrhus in Syria, but were later brought to Constantinople. There, the emperor Justinian built a church dedicated to the saints in gratitude for the miraculous cure of a severe illness attributed to the intercession of the saints.  Apse of the Basilica of Saints Cosmas and Damian, Rome Photo by Richard Stracke From Wikimedia Commons, used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license In Rome, Pope Felix IV (526–530) rededicated the Library of Peace (Bibliotheca Pacis), located on the northern edge of the Roman Forum at the Forum of Vespasian, as a basilica to "Santi Cosma e Damiano". The church has been extensively renovated, but the famed sixth-century apse mosaics, illustrating the saints, has survived the years and is shown above. The work shows Saints Peter and Paul (dressed in Roman senator togas) flanking the risen Jesus and introducing Cosmas and Damian, who hold their crowns of martyrdom. The basilica is visited as one of the Lenten Station Churches during the annual Easter-season pilgrimage, and the names of Saints Cosmas and Damian are recited in the litany of saints and martyrs in Eucharistic Prayer 1. REFERENCES: |
