Saints Abibus (Deacon Habibus or Aviv), Gurias (Guria or Gury), and Samonas (Samon or Shamona) of Edessa 

Eastern Orthodox icon

pigment on board

circa 19th century

Ukrainian or Russian

25 x 21.5 cm

provenance:  collected in Odessa, Ukraine, by Jack Daulton

with Cyrillic inscriptions 

These three saints were martyred in Edessa, northern Mesopotamia (Urfa in modern Turkey), circa early 4th century. Saint Abibus, on the left, wears a deacon's stole and holds a dangling censer as his main attribute; Saint Gurias, in the center, is depicted as a gray-haired old man with a long beard; and Saint Samonas, on the right, holds a cross.  They are the patron saints of holy matrimony (marriage); and this icon is therefore often given a wedding present.