Unmercenary Zenaida of Tarsus, Unmercenary Healer

Saint Zenaida of Tarsus was a first-century unmercenary physician, a relative and disciple of the Apostle Paul, from the city of Tarsus in Cilicia. Together with her sister Philonilla, she was raised in piety from childhood; upon hearing Paul's preaching, both sisters believed in Christ and dedicated themselves to serving others. Zenaida settled in a solitary cave on a mountain near Demetrias, where she healed the sick and those afflicted by unclean spirits without charge, anointing them with oil and praying over them — earning her the title "unmercenary healer." Sufferers from the surrounding region flocked to her, and many, through her care and prayers, turned to Christ. She died peacefully after pricking her foot on a thorn. Her sister Philonilla remained in Tarsus, led a strict ascetic life, and likewise received the gift of healing; she too reposed in peace. A later Greek tradition portrays the sisters as martyrs stoned to death, but the earliest sources describe peaceful deaths.