On this day, June 27 according to the Julian Calendar (July 10 civil calendar), the Georgian Orthodox Church commemorates Venerable Samson the Hospitable, the great physician-saint of Constantinople whose compassion for the poor and suffering made him a living image of Christ’s mercy.
Venerable Samson the Hospitable was born into a wealthy and noble Roman family. In his youth he received an excellent education and mastered the art of medicine, which he practiced freely and without charge, healing the sick out of love for God and neighbor. After the death of his parents, Samson liberated his servants, distributed all his wealth to the poor, and sought to live a life of solitary asceticism in the East.
On his way to the East, he arrived in Constantinople, where his fame as a healer and holy man preceded him. The Patriarch of Constantinople, recognizing his virtue, ordained him to the priesthood. Shortly afterward, Emperor Justinian I fell gravely ill and, having received no relief from the court physicians, was miraculously healed through the prayers of Venerable Samson. Out of gratitude, Justinian built a great hospice in Constantinople and entrusted it to the care of Samson.
This hospice became a center of mercy and healing, receiving the poor, the sick, and strangers without distinction. Saint Samson himself directed its work with tireless charity until the end of his days. He reposed in the Lord around the year 530 and was buried in the hospice church he had served. Even after his repose, many miracles of healing were worked at his tomb.
He is honored by the Church as a patron of the sick and of those who care for them.
May the intercessions of Venerable Samson the Hospitable be with us all.