The patron saints of surgery and surgeons are Sts. Cosmas and Damian, twin brothers and Christian physicians of the early Church who treated the sick without charging a penny and were martyred for their faith around the year 300. They are also the patrons of physicians, pharmacists and all who work in medicine, and their names are said in the Roman Canon of the Mass. The Church celebrates them on September 26. Patients facing an operation, and the surgeons, nurses and anesthetists who care for them, ask for their prayers, together with St. Luke, the beloved physician. Below are their story, the famous legend of the miraculous leg, and prayers before surgery, for surgeons and for recovery.
A short prayer before surgery, written for this page:
Sts. Cosmas and Damian, healers of the sick, pray for me.
Guide the hands and minds of my surgeons and everyone caring for me,
keep me safe through this operation, and bring me to a full recovery. Amen.
Who were Sts. Cosmas and Damian?
According to ancient tradition, Cosmas and Damian were twin brothers, born in Arabia, who studied medicine in Syria and practiced at Aegeae, in Cilicia, on the southern coast of present-day Turkey. They became famous not only for their skill but for their charity: they refused all payment, so that Christians in the East still call them Anargyroi, “the ones without silver.” Their free care for the sick led many people to faith in Christ.
During the persecution of the Emperor Diocletian they were arrested, tortured and beheaded, around the year 287 or 303. Their tomb at Cyrus, in Syria, became a place of pilgrimage, and devotion to them spread quickly. In Rome, Pope Felix IV dedicated a church to them in the Forum around 527, which still stands, with a magnificent mosaic of Christ in glory.
The miracle of the leg
A famous legend tells that long after their death, a man in Rome was dying from a gangrenous leg. As he slept in their church, Cosmas and Damian appeared, removed the diseased leg, and replaced it with the healthy leg of a man who had just died. When he awoke, he was healed. Painted by many medieval and Renaissance artists, the “miracle of the black leg” made the twins the patrons of surgeons, and it is often called the first transplant in Christian art.
Scripture
The Book of Ecclesiasticus honors the work of physicians as a gift of God (Ecclesiasticus 38:1–4, Douay-Rheims):
Honour the physician for the need thou hast of him: for the most High hath created him.
For all healing is from God, and he shall receive gifts of the king.
The skill of the physician shall lift up his head, and in the sight of great men he shall be praised.
The most High hath created medicines out of the earth, and a wise man will not abhor them.
For centuries, the Church of Rome prayed this collect at the Lenten station in their church (The Mass Every Day of the Year, 1916):
May the blessed and solemn remembrance of the holy Martyrs, Cosmas and Damian, magnify thy name, O Lord, who hast rewarded them with glory everlasting, and, in thine ineffable providence, hast bestowed on us thy gracious help. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God world without end. Amen.
Other patron saints of medicine
- St. Luke, the evangelist St. Paul called “the most dear physician” (Colossians 4:14), patron of doctors. See the St. Luke prayer.
- St. Pantaleon, a physician-martyr of the same era, also honored as a healer who took no fees.
- St. Raphael the Archangel, whose name means “God heals.” See the St. Raphael prayer.
- St. Camillus de Lellis, patron of hospitals, nurses and the sick. See the patron saint of nurses.
Prayers for surgery
Written for this page.
For a surgeon
Sts. Cosmas and Damian, you served the sick with skill and love.
Pray for this surgeon: give steady hands, a clear mind and a compassionate heart,
and let their work today bring healing and life. Amen.
For a loved one in surgery
Lord, I place [name] in your hands during this operation.
Watch over the whole surgical team, keep [name] safe,
and calm my worried heart while I wait. Amen.
After surgery, for recovery
Thank you, Lord, for bringing me through this operation.
Help my body to heal, ease my pain, give me patience,
and bless everyone who cares for me. Amen.
See also the full prayer before surgery.
Feast day
The optional memorial of Sts. Cosmas and Damian, martyrs, is September 26 (before 1969 it was kept on September 27). In the Eastern Churches several groups of “unmercenary” healers named Cosmas and Damian are honored on other dates.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the patron saint of surgery?
Sts. Cosmas and Damian, twin physicians and martyrs, are the patrons of surgery and surgeons.
Who is the patron saint of medicine and doctors?
Sts. Cosmas and Damian and St. Luke the evangelist, “the most dear physician.”
When is the feast of Sts. Cosmas and Damian?
September 26.
More prayers for healing
- Prayer before surgery
- Patron saints of healing
- Catholic prayer for healing
- St. Luke prayer
- Patron saint of nurses
- Saint of the day
Texts and sources
- Ecclesiasticus 38:1–4 (Douay-Rheims).
- The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916), Thursday after the Third Sunday of Lent, Collect, public domain (archive.org).