died between c. 305–311
A Christian of Anazarbus in Cilicia who endured prolonged suffering and was martyred at Antioch; his relics became a source of healing.
The Holy and Glorious Martyr Julian of Anazarbus
Julian of Anazarbus, also known as Julian of Antioch, Julian of Tarsus, and Julian of Cilicia, was a Christian martyr of the early fourth century. He came from Anazarbus in Cilicia, in what is now southern Turkey, and is recorded as having held senatorial rank.
He suffered during the persecutions of the emperor Maximian Galerius (305–311), associated with the broader Diocletianic persecution. By tradition he endured prolonged torture, being paraded through the cities of Cilicia over the course of a year before being put to death.
His relics later became known as a source of healing and miracles, and they were eventually housed in a basilica at Antioch, where Saint John Chrysostom preached in his honor.
According to the accounts of his life, Julian endured severe tortures for confessing Christ. The synaxarion relates that he was paraded daily for a whole year through various cities of Cilicia while being subjected to suffering.
By tradition, he met his death by being sewn into a sack filled with sand together with scorpions and vipers, which was then cast into the sea. The persecution is placed under the emperor Maximian Galerius (305–311).
Traditional accounts relate that after his death at sea the currents carried his body to Alexandria, where he was first buried. His relics were subsequently translated to Antioch.
At Antioch the relics were housed in a basilica built in his honor, where they were glorified by miracles. Saint John Chrysostom preached a homily celebrating Julian at Antioch and mentioned the martyr in his 47th homily, an indication of Julian's standing in early Christian tradition.
The Orthodox Church commemorates Julian of Anazarbus on March 16, the date observed by the Orthodox Church in America and also kept by the Roman Catholic Church. Some traditions place his principal Eastern Orthodox feast on June 21.
In religious art he is typically depicted being cast into the sea in a sack containing serpents and scorpions; he is also shown with his coffin carried by four angels, or bound on a dromedary.