Saint Hermolaus of Nicomedia

Hermolaus of Nicomedia (executed in 305) was an early Christian hieromartyr who suffered in Nicomedia alongside Hermippus and Hermocrates. He is venerated by the Orthodox Church (commemorated on July 26/August 8) and the Catholic Church (commemorated on July 27). Information about Saint Hermolaus is known from the hagiography of Saint Panteleimon. According to the account, Hermolaus was a presbyter, while Hermippus and Hermocrates were clerics (or, in a later version, also presbyters) in Nicomedia. During the persecutions of 305, they took refuge in a private house, where they continued to preach to pagans. Among their converts was the future great martyr Panteleimon. After Panteleimon was arrested and confessed his faith, he refused to lie and revealed the name of his mentor, Hermolaus, and his hiding place. Hermolaus, Hermippus, and Hermocrates were subsequently arrested, declared themselves Christians, and were beheaded. The hagiography indicates that it was Hermolaus who taught Panteleimon the art of medicine. Due to this, Hermolaus is often depicted in icons with medical instruments and is grouped with other unmercenary physicians, such as his student Panteleimon, Cosmas and Damian, and Cyrus and John. Traditionally, Hermolaus is portrayed as a gray-haired elder with a small beard, wearing priestly vestments or a simple chiton and cloak. His images are found in churches in Cappadocia (including Göreme), Kastoria, Sicily (the Martorana, the Palatine Chapel, and Monreale Cathedral), and the Church of Saint Nicholas Orphanos in Thessaloniki. The earliest depictions of Saint Hermolaus in Russia are frescoes in Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv and the Transfiguration Church of the Euphrosyne Monastery in Polotsk. A portion of Saint Hermolaus's relics is located in the Church of San Simeone Piccolo in Venice, and another is in the Cathedral of Benevento.