On this day, June 28 according to the Julian Calendar (July 11 civil calendar), the Georgian Orthodox Church commemorates the Translation of the Relics of the Holy Unmercenary Physicians Cyrus and John, which took place in 412 AD.
The Holy Unmercenary Physicians Cyrus and John were martyred for their faith during the persecutions of the early Church, and their memory is kept on January 31. On June 28 (Old Style), the Church celebrates the solemn translation of their holy relics from Canopus — a city near Alexandria, Egypt, notorious as a center of pagan idol worship — to the village of Menouthis.
The occasion of this translation was both a triumph of the Christian faith and an act of pastoral wisdom. The region of Menouthis had long been a stronghold of pagan superstition, where demonic oracles attracted multitudes seeking healing. The Patriarch of Alexandria, Theophilus (385–412), desiring to sanctify this place and deliver the population from the power of the demons, transferred the relics of Saints Cyrus and John to a church in Menouthis dedicated to the holy Evangelists.
From the moment the relics of the holy Unmercenary Physicians were enshrined there, the site became renowned for miraculous healings. The demonic oracle fell silent, and the people who had formerly flocked to the pagan shrine began instead to seek healing from the saints of God. Countless miracles were recorded at the tomb of Cyrus and John, and the place became a great center of Christian pilgrimage.
Saints Cyrus and John healed the sick freely and without payment, after the manner of Christ, and they continue to do so from heaven to all who call upon them in faith.
May the intercessions of the Holy Unmercenary Physicians Cyrus and John be with us all.