Description

The iconography of this icon is not only rare, but also very interesting: 50 doctor saints, healers and protectors are divided over four rows. The name of the saint is written in their halo. In the space above the saint is a brief description about the kind of healing the saint can perform or against which disease or misery the saint can provide support in the name of God. Considering the situation around the Coronavirus outbreak, a few saints deserve a special mention. Firstly, the saint Photina (bottommost row, farthest to the left). She provides protection against ‘spreading diseases’, better known as epidemics. The saint Maron (bottommost row, second from the right) grants a similar protection. Now that dentistry care is given low profile, saint Antipas (uppermost row, farthest to the left) enunciates his significance as protector against toothache. Saints Gurij, Samon and Aviv (third row, starting from the third person left) are not to be forgotten either, since they protect against domestic violence, as well as saint Bonifantii (second row, farthest to the right), who protects against excessive alcohol consumption.