Hieromartyr4th century

Hieromartyr Julian of Galatia and 40 Martyrs with him

died c. 300

Also known as Julian the Presbyter

A priest who, hiding with forty Christian companions, was arrested for celebrating the services and suffered martyrdom with them.

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Commemorated as

The Holy Hieromartyr Julian of Galatia and the Forty Martyrs with Him

Life

Julian was a Christian presbyter who lived near Ancyra in the region of Galatia, in Asia Minor, during the early fourth century, around the year 300. With forty other Christians he hid in a cave, where the company secretly conducted the divine services in a time of persecution.

When the authorities discovered the group, Julian was arrested. He refused to disclose the whereabouts of his companions or to offer the pagan sacrifices demanded of him, and he was put to torture and ultimately beheaded. The forty Christians who had hidden with him afterward confessed their faith openly, were arrested, and were beheaded by order of the governor. Julian and his companions are commemorated together on September 12.

Troparion1 hymnReadHide

TroparionTone 4

Your holy martyrs O Lord,
through their sufferings have received incorruptible crowns from You, our God.
For having Your strength, they laid low their adversaries,
and shattered the powerless boldness of demons.
Through their intercessions, save our souls!

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline4 momentsReadHide

c. 300Hiding near AncyraJulian, a presbyter, hid in a cave near Ancyra in Galatia together with forty other Christians, where they secretly conducted the divine services during persecution.
c. 300Arrest and tortureThe group was discovered and Julian was arrested. Refusing to betray his companions or to offer pagan sacrifice, he was tortured, including being placed on a red-hot iron grate.
c. 300Martyrdom of JulianJulian was put to death by beheading, having prayed for those who would later come to his burial place.
c. 300Martyrdom of the forty companionsThe forty hidden Christians emerged, openly confessed their faith, were arrested, and were beheaded by order of the governor.

Contributions & Legacy

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Arrest and Martyrdom

After the group was discovered, the authorities arrested Julian and pressed him to reveal where his companions were hiding, but he refused to betray them. Ordered to make pagan sacrifices, he rejected the demand and was subjected to severe torture. According to the accounts, he was stripped and placed upon a red-hot iron grate; the tradition relates that an angel cooled the flames so that he emerged unharmed, declaring himself a servant of God.

The persecutors then brought forward Julian's elderly mother, threatening to torture her unless she persuaded her son to renounce his faith. By tradition she answered with courage, holding that a defilement forced upon her would be martyrdom rather than sin. Julian was at length put to death by beheading.

The Forty Companions

The forty Christians who had shared Julian's hiding place are said to have heard a heavenly voice summoning him to heaven. Emboldened by this, they came out of hiding, openly confessed themselves Christians, and were arrested. By order of the governor they too were beheaded, and they are commemorated together with Julian as the Forty Martyrs who suffered with him.

Identity and Sources

Julian of Galatia is commemorated on September 12 and is distinct from the Hieromartyr Julian of Ancyra commemorated on September 13. The OCA Synaxarion places him as a presbyter of the region near Ancyra in Galatia in the fourth century, within the Pre-Nicene era. Some accounts associate the persecution with the reign of Diocletian (284–305) and name a governor Antoninus as the persecutor.

The Prologue of Ohrid records the company as the Holy Martyr Julian with forty companions, suffering around the year 300 by torture and beheading, and locates the martyrdom in Galatia, the region near Ancyra (modern Ankara). The same accounts preserve a prayer attributed to Julian before his death, in which he asked that those who came to his burial place receive forgiveness of sins and freedom from their passions, and that the fields of such people be spared from destructive birds, insects, and blight.

Related Saints1 saintShowHide

Saints connected to his life, mission, and place in Orthodox tradition.

A distinct priest-martyr of Ancyra in Galatia commemorated the following day, September 13; the two same-named Galatian Julians are closely associated in the calendar and carefully distinguished.

Hieromartyr Julianof Galatia

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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints