Preview build: no payments are taken.

We ship to all 50 states. Free shipping on orders of $99 or more

Menu
Find a SaintCart
A folding diptych of Christ and the Mother of God on a white plaster plinth beside a red lampada against an ochre-gold backdrop.

A saint for every need

Patron Saints of Nurses, Doctors and Surgery

Before an operation Orthodox Christians pray to St Luke of Crimea, the professor of surgery and archbishop who prayed before every incision. Doctors and nurses keep St Panteleimon, the young physician-martyr, and the unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian, who healed without payment. The Apostle Luke, “the beloved physician,” and the Archangel Raphael, whose name means “God heals,” are asked too. Nurses also love St Alexandra the Passion-Bearer, who served as a sister of mercy. A diptych in a doctor’s bag or a nurse’s locker is a quiet confession of where healing comes from.

The saints the Church turns to

  1. St Luke of Crimea

    Asked for a successful operation, a skilled hand for the surgeon, and wisdom and mercy for doctors.

    11 June.

  2. St Panteleimon the Healer

    Patron of physicians and nurses, asked for a good outcome before surgery.

    27 July (9 August on the Old Calendar).

  3. The Archangel Raphael

    Asked for healing and for the skill of doctors.

    8 November (21 November on the Old Calendar).

In our shop

  • St Luke of Crimea and St Panteleimon icons (coming soon)
  • Archangel Raphael icon (coming soon)

How Orthodox Christians pray for this

Before surgery the patient receives Confession, Communion and, if possible, Holy Unction, and the family asks for a moleben for the sick. A small icon goes into the hospital bag. Orthodox doctors and nurses cross themselves before a shift and keep St Panteleimon or St Luke in the locker.

Have it consecrated by our priest before it reaches you — Consecration, $49.

Questions

Who is the patron saint of nurses?

Orthodox nurses keep St Panteleimon and St Luke of Crimea, and St Alexandra, who nursed the wounded as a sister of mercy. Catholics often name St Luke the Evangelist, St Raphael and Sts Cosmas and Damian, all honored in the Orthodox Church too.

Which saint do I pray to before surgery?

St Luke of Crimea, the surgeon-archbishop, and St Panteleimon.

Chosen by name

Whose saint is it?

Type the first name of the person you are praying for, in any spelling or language, and we will show the saint whose name they bear and their name day.