Saints for the Eyes and Vision
The Kazan icon of the Mother of God began its history by healing a blind man, and Russians have prayed before it for sight ever since. Greek Orthodox Christians pray to St Paraskevi of Rome, the virgin-martyr whose icon shows a dish with two eyes, for every illness of the eyes. The Archangel Raphael, who restored the sight of Tobit, is asked too, and English Orthodox pray to St Edward the Martyr for eye disease. In the West the eye saint is St Lucy. Before surgery or a hard diagnosis, the Kazan icon in our travel diptych is close at hand.
The saints the Church turns to
The Kazan Mother of God
Asked for healing of the eyes and the restoring of sight.
22 October (4 November on the Old Calendar); 8 July (21 July on the Old Calendar).
St Paraskevi of Rome
Asked for healing of the eyes and restored sight.
26 July (8 August on the Old Calendar).
The Archangel Raphael (8 November; 21 November on the Old Calendar) and St Edward the Martyr (18 March; 31 March on the Old Calendar) are also asked for the eyes.
In our shop
Christ Pantocrator & Our Lady of Kazan$69
St Edward the Martyr & Guardian Angel$69
St Alena (Alina) of Brussels & Guardian Angelasked for healing of the eyes.$69
- St Paraskevi icon (coming soon)
How Orthodox Christians pray for this
Pray before the Kazan icon, wash the eyes with holy water, and anoint them with oil from the icon lamp. Families ask for a moleben before eye surgery and give the patient’s name at the Liturgy.
Have it consecrated by our priest before it reaches you — Consecration, $49.
Questions
Who is the patron saint of eyes?
Catholics pray to St Lucy. Orthodox Christians pray before the Kazan icon of the Mother of God and, in Greek usage, to St Paraskevi of Rome.
Why is the Kazan icon prayed to for the eyes?
The icon’s history began in 1579 with the healing of a blind man in Kazan.
