St. Raphael is one of the three archangels named in the Bible. His name means "God has healed." In the Book of Tobit, St. Raphael disguises himself as a human and helps Tobit's son Tobias. In the story, Tobit is blinded and asks God to help his son to marry someone. Tobit convinces Tobias to journey to their relatives in order to ask for permission to marry their relative's daughter Sarah. Tobias is first instructed to find a companion to go with him to help keep him safe. The Archangel Raphael offers to journey with Tobias. On the way, they catch a fish; the archangel tells Tobias to keep it for he will need it later. When they arrive at the relatives house, they discover that the demon Asmodeus had killed Sarah's seven previous husbands before they could consummate the marriage. The archangel instructs Tobias how to enter safely into the marriage with Sarah by using part of the fish they had caught to scare away Asmodeus. After celebrating the consummation of the marriage, the three return to Tobit. St. Raphael then shows Tobias how to cure Tobit of his blindness, again with part of the fish. Finally, he reveals himself to be St. Raphael the Archangel.
St. Raphael is the patron saint of travelers, the blind, bodily ills, happy meetings, nurses, physicians and medical workers. His feast day is celebrated on September 29, along with Sts. Michael and Gabriel. Because he instructed Tobias how to use to the fish to defeat the demon and cure blindness, he is often portrayed holding a fish.
The statue is 12.5" tall and weighs 70 grams.