Saints Cosmas and Damian in the context of "Ibeji"

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⭐ Core Definition: Saints Cosmas and Damian

Cosmas and Damian (c. 3rd century – c. 287 or c. 303 AD) were two Arab physicians and early Christian martyrs. They practised their profession in the seaport of Aegeae, then in the Roman province of Cilicia.

Cosmas and Damian were third century Arabian-born twin brothers who embraced Christianity and practised medicine and surgery without a fee. This led them to being named anargyroi (from the Greek Ἀνάργυροι, "the silverless" or "unmercenaries"); by this, they attracted many to the Christian faith. They reputedly cured blindness, fever, paralysis and reportedly expelled a serpent. They were arrested by Lysias, governor of Cilicia (modern-day Çukurova, Turkey) during the Diocletian persecution because of their faith and fame as healers. Emperor Diocletian, who favoured the worship of the Olympian gods, issued a series of edicts that condemned the Christians with the goal of eliminating Christianity from the Roman Empire.

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👉 Saints Cosmas and Damian in the context of Ibeji

Ibeji (known as Ibejí, Ibeyí, or Jimaguas in Latin America) is the name of an Orisha representing a pair of divine twins in the Yoruba religion of the Yoruba people (originating from Yorubaland, an area in and around present-day Nigeria). In the diasporic Yoruba spirituality of Latin America, Ibeji are syncretized with Saints Cosmas and Damian. In Yoruba culture and spirituality, twins are believed to be magical, and are granted protection by the Orisha Shango. If one twin should die, it represents bad fortune for the parents and the society to which they belong. The parents therefore commission a babalawo to carve a wooden Ibeji to represent the deceased twin, and the parents take care of the figure as if it were a real person. Other than the sex, the appearance of the Ibeji is determined by the sculptor. The parents then dress and decorate the ibeji to represent their own status, using clothing made from cowrie shells, as well as beads, coins, and paint.

Ibeji figures are admired by tribal art collectors and many have made their way into western collections. The world's largest collection of Ibejis is at The British Museum, London.

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Saints Cosmas and Damian in the context of St. Pantaleon's Church, Cologne

The Church of Saint Pantaleon (German: Sankt Pantaleon [ˌzaŋkt panˈtaːleɔn]; Kölsch: Zint Pantalejon [ˌtsɪ̂nt panˈtálɪjɔn]) is an early Romanesque church in Cologne, Germany. The church dates back to the 10th century and is one of the twelve Romanesque churches of Cologne. The former monastery church is consecrated to Saint Pantaleon and the Saints Cosmas and Damian and is the oldest church of the cult of Saint Pantaleon west of Byzantium. The Holy Roman Empress Theophanu and the archbishop Bruno the Great are buried in the church, which also contains shrines of saints Alban, the first Christian martyr of Britain, and Maurinus of Cologne. Pope Benedict XVI visited the church in 2005.

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Ibeji ← St. Pantaleon's Church, Cologne
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Arabs → Christian martyrs → Yumurtalık → Province → Cilicia (Roman province) → Holy Unmercenaries → Diocletian persecution → Diocletian →