26 September 2026
Saints Cosmas, Damian, and Nilus of Rossano
Today, September 26, we celebrate the feast day of: Saints Cosmas and Damian, martyrs; and Saint Nilus, abbot.
Saints Cosmas and Damian, martyrs
According to an ancient tradition, Cosmas and Damian were two Christian brothers who practiced medicine in Cyrrhus, Syria, without asking for any compensation for their services. During the Roman persecutions, the tradition of their martyrdom recounts that they were subjected to various torments: thrown into fire, stoned, and shot with arrows—from which they were also said to be miraculously preserved—until they were finally beheaded. The exact circumstances and date of their martyrdom are not certain, but their veneration was already very ancient in Cyrrhus and spread rapidly throughout the Christian East and West. In Rome, a basilica was dedicated to them in the 6th century, still famous today for its mosaics.
Saint Nilus of Rossano, abbot
He was born in Rossano, Calabria, around the year 910, into a family of Greek tradition, and was baptized with the name Nicholas. Upon becoming a monk, he took the name Nilus and dedicated himself to prayer, contemplative life, and charity. He also copied manuscripts, thus contributing to preserving and transmitting the Christian tradition.
Throughout his life, he founded several monastic communities of Byzantine tradition and worked to keep the Eastern Christian tradition alive in southern Italy. Toward the end of his life, he arrived in the territory of Tusculum, near Rome, where in the year 1004 he founded the monastery of Grottaferrata, which would become an important center of the Byzantine tradition in communion with the Church of Rome. He died there shortly after, on September 26, 1004. Currently, the Montserrat monk Manuel Nin serves as apostolic exarch at the Abbey of Grottaferrata.
Saints Cosmas and Damian, martyrs
According to an ancient tradition, Cosmas and Damian were two Christian brothers who practiced medicine in Cyrrhus, Syria, without asking for any compensation for their services. During the Roman persecutions, the tradition of their martyrdom recounts that they were subjected to various torments: thrown into fire, stoned, and shot with arrows—from which they were also said to be miraculously preserved—until they were finally beheaded. The exact circumstances and date of their martyrdom are not certain, but their veneration was already very ancient in Cyrrhus and spread rapidly throughout the Christian East and West. In Rome, a basilica was dedicated to them in the 6th century, still famous today for its mosaics.
Saint Nilus of Rossano, abbot
He was born in Rossano, Calabria, around the year 910, into a family of Greek tradition, and was baptized with the name Nicholas. Upon becoming a monk, he took the name Nilus and dedicated himself to prayer, contemplative life, and charity. He also copied manuscripts, thus contributing to preserving and transmitting the Christian tradition.
Throughout his life, he founded several monastic communities of Byzantine tradition and worked to keep the Eastern Christian tradition alive in southern Italy. Toward the end of his life, he arrived in the territory of Tusculum, near Rome, where in the year 1004 he founded the monastery of Grottaferrata, which would become an important center of the Byzantine tradition in communion with the Church of Rome. He died there shortly after, on September 26, 1004. Currently, the Montserrat monk Manuel Nin serves as apostolic exarch at the Abbey of Grottaferrata.
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[cos] => Today, September 26, we celebrate the feast day of: Saints Cosmas and Damian, martyrs; and Saint Nilus, abbot.
Saints Cosmas and Damian, martyrs
According to an ancient tradition, Cosmas and Damian were two Christian brothers who practiced medicine in Cyrrhus, Syria, without asking for any compensation for their services. During the Roman persecutions, the tradition of their martyrdom recounts that they were subjected to various torments: thrown into fire, stoned, and shot with arrows—from which they were also said to be miraculously preserved—until they were finally beheaded. The exact circumstances and date of their martyrdom are not certain, but their veneration was already very ancient in Cyrrhus and spread rapidly throughout the Christian East and West. In Rome, a basilica was dedicated to them in the 6th century, still famous today for its mosaics.
Saint Nilus of Rossano, abbot
He was born in Rossano, Calabria, around the year 910, into a family of Greek tradition, and was baptized with the name Nicholas. Upon becoming a monk, he took the name Nilus and dedicated himself to prayer, contemplative life, and charity. He also copied manuscripts, thus contributing to preserving and transmitting the Christian tradition.
Throughout his life, he founded several monastic communities of Byzantine tradition and worked to keep the Eastern Christian tradition alive in southern Italy. Toward the end of his life, he arrived in the territory of Tusculum, near Rome, where in the year 1004 he founded the monastery of Grottaferrata, which would become an important center of the Byzantine tradition in communion with the Church of Rome. He died there shortly after, on September 26, 1004. Currently, the Montserrat monk Manuel Nin serves as apostolic exarch at the Abbey of Grottaferrata.
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