June 21. Holy Martyr Iulian of Tarsus
The Holy Martyr Iulian of Tarsus (4); the Holy Martyr Iulian of Egypt; the Holy Martyr Terentiy, Bishop of Iconium.
The Holy Martyr Iulian of Tarsus
The holy martyr Iulian of Tarsus was born in the Asia Minor province of Kilikia. He was the son of a senator who was a pagan; his mother was a Christian. After the death of her husband, the mother of Saint Iulian moved to the city of Tarsus, where she baptized her son and raised him in Christian piety.
When the saint reached the age of eighteen, Emperor Dioklitian (284–305) began his persecution of Christians. Among others, Saint Iulian was arrested. He was brought before the governor Markian for trial, where he was long urged to renounce Christ. Neither tortures nor threats, nor promises of gifts and honors, could persuade the pious youth to offer pagan sacrifices or to deny Christ. The holy confessor remained steadfast and unshaken in his faith.
For a whole year, the martyr was led from city to city throughout the region of Kilikia. In each place, he was interrogated and subjected to cruel tortures, after which he was thrown into prison. The mother of Saint Iulian followed after her son, praying that the Lord would further strengthen him in faith and struggle.
In the city of Agea, under the pretext of persuading her son to sacrifice to the idols, she asked the governor for permission to visit him in prison. She spent three days in the prison with Saint Iulian, imploring him to remain steadfast to the end.
Saint Iulian was again brought before the governor. Thinking that the mother had persuaded her son to obey the imperial decree, the governor began to praise her prudence. Unexpectedly, she boldly confessed herself to be a Christian. Saint Iulian continued to rebuke pagan polytheism with the same fearlessness and courage. Then the governor ordered the feet of Saint Iulian’s mother to be cut off, because she had followed her son from Tarsus. The holy martyr died from her wounds.
The martyr Iulian was sewn into a sack filled with sand and poisonous creatures, and thrown into the sea. The waves cast the body of the sufferer ashore near Alexandria, where it was honorably buried by a pious Alexandrian Christian woman. His martyrdom took place around the year 305. Later, the relics of the holy martyr were translated to the city of Antioch. Saint Ioann Zlatoust honored the memory of the holy martyr Iulian with a homily.