The patron saints of surgeons.

The twins were born in Aegea (now Ayas, in the Gulf of İskenderun, Cilicia, Asia Minor). His father was a martyr during the persecution of Christians in the Diocletian era. Cosme and Damião were doctors who cured the sick not only with their knowledge but through miracles provided by their prayers. Their real names were Acta and Passio. Her mother was called Theodata, and she is also venerated as a saint by the Orthodox.

The twins practiced medicine in Aegea and therefore achieved a great reputation. They did not accept any payment for their services and that is why they called anargyras (in ancient Greek: Ανάργυροι anargyroi - averse to money).

In this way, they brought many new adherents to the Christian faith. When Diocletian's persecution began, Mayor Lísias had Cosimo and Damião arrested and ordered them to recant. They remained constant under torture and, according to legend, suffered no injuries from water, fire, air, not even on the cross, until they were decapitated by a sword. His three brothers, Antimus, Leontius and Euprepius also died as martyrs with them.

The execution took place on September 27, probably between 287/303 AD.

Later, a series of reports emerged about the twins linked in part to their relics. The remains of the martyrs were buried in the city of Cyrus, in Syria; Emperor Justinian I (527-565) sumptuously restored the city in his honor, after being cured of a dangerous illness through the intercession of Cosmas and Damian. Justinian rebuilt and decorated the church of the martyrs in Constantinople, which became a famous place of pilgrimage. In Rome, Pope Felix IV (526-530) built a church in his honor.

Cosmas and Damião are considered the patrons of doctors and surgeons and are sometimes represented by medical emblems.

The Old English Martyrology tells the following story:

When they cured a lady of a serious illness, she secretly brought Damião a small gift; the texts say there were three eggs. And then she pleaded in the name of God that If he accepted them, Damião kept them. Cosimo was so sad because of this that he asked that when they died their bodies would not be buried together. Then on the same night, the Lord appeared to Cosimo and said: "Why did you say that about the gift that Damião received? he did not receive it as payment, but because it was asked of him in my name."(...) When they were martyred, the men who received their bodies were undecided about where they should bury them separately because of what Cosimo had said, until a camel appeared and said in a human voice: "Do not separate the bodies of the saints, bury them together."

Miracle attributed to SS. Cosmas and Damião: a sacristan had a gangrenous leg; While he slept, the Saints amputated his sick leg and replaced it with that of a recently buried Ethiopian, healing him.