The Holy Martyr Julian of Tarsus was born in Diocesarea, Cilicia, to a pagan senator father and a Christian mother. Following his father's death, Julian and his mother relocated to Tarsus, where he was baptized and raised in Christian devotion.
At eighteen, during Emperor Diocletian's persecution of Christians (284-305), Julian was arrested and brought before the eparch Marcian for trial. Despite enduring prolonged torture and facing threats and offers of rewards, Julian steadfastly refused to renounce his faith in Christ.
For a year, he was subjected to interrogation and torture across various cities in Cilicia before being imprisoned. Julian's mother followed him, providing spiritual support. In Aegea, she gained permission to visit him under the pretence of persuading him to comply with the imperial decree but instead encouraged him to remain steadfast.
Julian was again brought before Marcian, who, thinking Julian's mother had convinced him to comply, pressured her to sacrifice to the idols. She boldly confessed her faith in Christ, resulting in Marcian ordering her feet be cut off for following her son.
Subsequently, Julian was sewn into a sack filled with sand, scorpions, and serpents and cast into the sea. His body washed ashore in Alexandria, where it was buried by a pious Christian. His relics were later transferred to Antioch. Saint John Chrysostom honored Julian with an encomium, and relics fragments are preserved at the Monasteries of Pantokrator and Saint Panteleimon on Mount Athos.
We invoke Saint Julian's intercession to protect gardens, fields, and homes from pests and harmful creatures.
