Theodotia of Asia

Holy Venerable Theodotia of Asia was the mother of the Holy Unmercenary Wonderworkers Cosmas and Damian of Asia. The two brothers had their homeland in Asia, the name once borne by a part of Asia Minor. Neither the time of their birth nor of their death is known; it is certain only that they lived no later than the fourth century, for in the first half of the fifth century, in the time of Theodosius the Younger, churches were built in their name, and the Copts, separated from Orthodoxy since the Council of Chalcedon, count them among the saints, whereas they do not accept saints who lived after that Council.

Family

Their father was a Greek and a pagan, and their mother a Christian, named Theodotia. In early years they lost their father, but this was to their good, for their mother could attend more freely to the upbringing of the children. Resolved to remain a widow all her life, she zealously fulfilled the Christian law, renouncing all the joys of life and caring only to please the Lord. In a word, she was a true widow, of those the apostle Paul praises: "she who is really a widow, and left alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day" (1 Timothy 5:5). Therefore the Holy Church numbered her among the saints, called her venerable and makes her memory together with her children.

Raising her sons

It can be understood what upbringing the children received from such a mother. From infancy she sought to instil in them the fear of God and love of virtue. When the children came of age, she gave them to be taught letters by a God-⁠fearing man. Here, of course, the chief science was Holy Scripture, but at the same time, moved by love for suffering mankind, they also studied medical science, learning the healing properties of herbs and plants. The Lord blessed their good intention and gave them a special grace, the gift of healings and miracles. Illnesses ceased as soon as Cosmas and Damian began to treat them. The blind, the lame, the paralysed and the possessed surrounded the wonderworkers. But the saints were not burdened by this. More than that, to be more accessible to the sick, they themselves sought them out, going from city to city and village to village, and gave healing to all the sick, without distinction of sex and age, rank and station. They did this not to grow rich or be glorified, but with the purest and highest aim: to serve the suffering for God's sake, to express love for God in love for neighbour. So they accepted from no one any reward for their labour. Having received the grace freely, they gave it freely. Of those they healed they asked only that they believe firmly in Christ and live holily in Christ, and if they were not yet enlightened by the Gospel, they tried to bring them to the Christian faith.

The vow and repose

Animals too were not strangers to them: they went about houses, deserts and forests and sought out sick animals themselves and healed them. Once they found in a deserted place a camel nearly dead, which the devil had struck, and they healed it and let it go well. Afterwards the animal was not ungrateful. All their lives the brothers were never separated from each other. They had vowed to accept nothing from anyone, lest one of them take in secret the gifts of the healed. They kept the vow all their lives, and at the end the Lord allowed one of them to break it. There lived at that time a woman, Palladia, sick for many years, healed by them at her call, who, since they would accept nothing, came secretly to Damian and begged him, in the name of the Holy Trinity, to accept three eggs from her. After long refusal, Damian accepted. Learning of it, Cosmas was greatly grieved and left an order that Damian's body should not be laid beside his own. That same night the Lord appeared to Cosmas and told him that Damian had accepted the eggs not as payment but for the woman's oath in His name. Cosmas was comforted and, after many signs and miracles, reposed in peace. A little later Damian also reposed. The people who honoured them stood perplexed where to lay Damian's body. Then a camel approached, the same one the saints had healed, and spoke, telling the secret of Cosmas, so that they would not part them but lay them together. The people thanked the Lord, laid the relics in one reliquary and buried them in the place called Pheremann, where a wonderful church was built, to which the sick came from near and far.

Theodotia is commemorated on 14 November (new style), with her sons. Their story was also written down by Saint Demetrius of Rostov.