Saints Blaise and Modestus I Orthodox Icon Briefkaart

St. Modestus of Jerusalem was Patriarch of Jerusalem from 632–634. He lost his parents when he was an infant and his caregivers raised him as a Christian. As an adult, he was sold into slavery in Egypt. He converted his slaveholder to Christianity and was freed. He went to Mount Sinai to live as an ascetic and was later made abbott of a monastery. In 614, Jerusalem was destroyed and tens of thousands of Christians were killed. Modestus was mounting troops when Persian troops surrounded him. He escaped and was chosen as Patriarch. St. Blaise mostly lived during the 3rd century. He was a physician and bishop of Sebastea in modern day Turkey. He is counted as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. Blaise is the patron saint of wool combers and of sufferers from ENT illnesses. According to the Acta Sanctorum, he was martyred in 316 AD.