Orthodox icon | Saints Comas and Damian and Pantaleon | 24675

Orthodox icon | Saints Comas and Damian and Pantaleon | 24675.

This is a highly rare icon depicting three revered helpers in need, specifically doctors, in remarkable condition considering its age.

The icon portrays Saints Cosmas and Damian holding ointment cans. Arab legends tell of these early Christian twin brothers, born in Syria and allegedly martyred in Aigeai, Cilicia, during the reign of Diocletian.

They were renowned healers who selflessly treated the sick without charge, earning the epithet “anargyroi” meaning “without silver.” Their compassionate care led many to embrace Christianity. They practiced medicine in Aigeai, particularly at the “Son of God Hospital” in Pheremma.

According to stories, they performed a miraculous leg transplant, replacing a decayed leg of a Caucasian person with that of a deceased African. Despite enduring persecution by the Roman prefect Lysias, who attempted to kill them in various ways, they miraculously survived.

In the end, they were martyred by beheading. Like Saint Pantaleon, Cosmas and Damian despised money, refusing compensation from their impoverished patients as doctors or pharmacists.

They are revered as patron saints of medical faculties, various medical professions, the sick, hairdressers, and confectioners. They are invoked during times of distress, ulcers, plagues, and equine ailments. They are also recognized as the patron saints of the Medici family due to their association with the Italian word “medici” (doctors).

Orthodox icon | Saints Comas and Damian and Pantaleon | 24675.

Saint Pantaleon, also known as “Panteleimon” (celebrated on July 27), was a doctor, martyr, and revered Helper in Need. He was born with the name Pantoléon toward the end of the 3rd century in Nicomedia, present-day İzmit in Turkey. As a child, he discovered his healing abilities when he encountered a lifeless child on the street bitten by a snake.

By invoking the name of Jesus, he miraculously revived the child. Panteleimon received medical training from the imperial physician Euphrosynus and later underwent baptism by the priest Hermolaus. Emperor Diocletian selected him as his personal physician. He is regarded as the patron saint of doctors, nurses, midwives, and pharmacists, among other professions associated with healthcare.

Source: Orthodox icon | Saints Comas and Damian and Pantaleon | 24675 © Ikonen Mautner. Typing errors, other errors or changes reserved. For more information: “Das Synaxarion. Die Leben der Heiligen der Orthodoxen Kirche.” (http://www.prodromos-verlag.de/buecher.html) and Joachim Schäfer: Das Ökumenische Heiligenlexikon – https://www.heiligenlexikon.de