Luke the Evangelist was a physician and one of the four evangelists of the New Testament. Of Greek origin and companion of Saint Paul, he wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. His gospel highlights mercy, the poor and women. He is also considered the first historian of Christianity. According to tradition, he painted an icon of the Virgin Mary, making him the patron saint of artists and physicians. He preached in Greece and Syria before dying as a martyr, probably in the 1st century. His cult spread to Lorraine and Europe.
