Cyrus and John

Saints Cyrus and John
Iconographic line drawing of Ss. Cyrus (left) and John
Wonderworkers, Unmercenary Physicians
Born	Alexandria, Egypt, Roman Empire
Died	c. 304, or 311 Abu Qir, Egypt
Venerated in	Eastern Orthodox Churches Oriental Orthodox Churches Roman Catholic Church
Major shrine	Saint Barbara Church in Coptic Cairo
Feast	31 January [O.S. February 13 (where the Julian calendar is in used)] 28 June [O.S. (11 July (where the Julian calendar is in used)] (translatlion of relics)
Attributes	Cyrus is clothed in monastic habit, John is wearing court robes. They may be shown holding martyrs' crosses or medicine boxes and medicine spoons which terminate in crosses
Patronage	Vico Equense

31 January [O.S. February 13 (where the Julian calendar is in used)]

Saints Cyrus and John (Italian: Ciro e Giovanni, Arabic: اباكير ويوحنا‎‎) (d. ca. 304 AD, or 311) are venerated as martyrs. They are especially venerated by the Coptic Church and surnamed Wonderworking Unmercenaries (thaumatourgoi anargyroi) because they are supposed to have healed the sick free of charge.

Their feast day is celebrated by the Copts on the sixth day of Tobi, corresponding to 31 January, the day also observed by the Eastern Orthodox Church (see January 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)); on the same day they are commemorated in the Roman Martyrology. The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrate also the finding and translation of their relics on 28 June.

The principal source of information regarding the life, passion and miracles of Sts. John and Cyrus is the encomium written by Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem (d. 638). Of the birth, parents, and first years of the saints we know nothing. According to the Arabic "Synaxarium", compiled by Michael, Bishop of Athrib and Malig, Cyrus and John were both Alexandrians; this, however, is contradicted by other documents in which it is said that Cyrus was a native of Alexandria and John of Edessa.