Gospel in Art: Saints Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs

A verger's dream - Saints Cosmas and Damian performing a miraculous cure by transplantation of a leg by the Master of Los Balbases, circa 1495, © Wellcome Library, London

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 26 September 2025
Luke 9:18-22

It happened that as Jesus was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, 'Who do the crowds say that I am?' And they answered, 'John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.' Then he said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' And Peter answered, 'The Christ of God.' And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, 'The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.'

Reflection on the painting

Today we celebrate the Feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian, twin brothers and physicians from Arabia who became renowned not only for their medical skill but also for their radical Christian witness. They offered their healing freely, never accepting payment, which earned them the title anargyroi in Greek, meaning "the silverless" or "those who take no fee." Their generosity in practicing medicine drew many to the Christian faith. In Christian art, they are often shown holding ointment jars, medical instruments, or sometimes even a scalpel, symbols of their role as healers of both body and soul.

Cosmas and Damian suffered greatly during the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian (303-311 A.D.), one of the fiercest attempts to suppress Christianity in the Roman Empire. They endured repeated execution attempts, being stoned, burned, and even drowned, yet miraculously survived each one until they were finally beheaded. Their courage and steadfastness became a powerful testimony to the strength of their faith. Because they always attributed their cures to the grace of Christ rather than to their own skill, they became a threat to Roman authorities who feared the spread of Christianity. Their martyrdom secured their place as beloved intercessors, especially for doctors, pharmacists, and the sick. Devotion to them spread widely through both East and West, with magnificent churches dedicated in their honour, including the famous basilica in the Roman Forum which can still be visited to this day.

In our Spanish altarpiece painting, we see Saints Cosmas and Damian, shown appearing in a vision, dressed in the rich robes of learned physicians, as they perform the famous miracle of the leg transplant. The story is recorded in Jacobus de Voragine's Legenda Aurea (The Golden Legend), compiled around 1275. According to the tale, a verger in the Roman Basilica dedicated to the saints on the Forum Romanum, suffered from a disease that was consuming the flesh of his left leg. One night he dreamt that the two holy physicians came to him, removed the diseased limb, and replaced it with the leg of a recently deceased African man buried nearby. When he awoke, he discovered that the diseased leg had indeed been replaced, and he now bore a healthy black leg.

This extraordinary miracle became one of the most popular episodes in the saints' legend and was often depicted in art. The Burgos altarpiece, painted by the anonymous Master of Los Balbases (so named after an altarpiece he created for the Church of Saint Stephen in that town) was probably originally housed in the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian in Burgos, northern Spain.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-9-18-22-2025/