Saint Julian was a senator and Christian serving under the terribel persecutions of the Emperor Diocletian. Once arrested, Saint Julian was told to recant his Christian faith or face certain execution. Saint Julian refused and paraded through the many cities of Cilicia (a region of southern modern day Turkey) where he was mocked and beaten. At night he was subjected to horrendous tortures. After nearly a year of this torture, Saint Julian was placed into a sack filled with scorpions, sand, and poisonous vipers. The sack was then sewn shut with him inside and thrown into the ocean. The sack and his body washed ashore in Alexandria where the Christians initially buried him before moving his remains back to Antioch.
Saint John Chrysostom preached a homily praising the martyr in Antioch. The city's main basilica was the final resting place of Saint Julian's remains. Today his feast day is celebrated on March 16th in the Roman Catholic church and June 21st in the Eastern Orthodox church.
