Martyr2nd century

Martyr Julian of Dalmatia

2nd century (suffered under Antoninus Pius, 138–161)

Also known as Julian

A young Christian of Dalmatia who confessed Christ in Campania and was put to death under Antoninus.

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Life

Julian of Dalmatia was a young Christian martyr of the second century, commemorated in the Orthodox Church on July 28. According to the synaxarion tradition, he was a native of Dalmatia who travelled to the Italian province of Campania and there confessed Christ before the imperial authorities, suffering death during the reign of the emperor Antoninus Pius (138–161).

He is a minor pre-Nicene martyr whose memory is preserved chiefly in the Slavic menologion tradition, with the fullest surviving English narrative found in the Prologue of Ohrid. He is to be distinguished from the better-known Julian of Tarsus, the Cilician martyr who suffered under Diocletian.

Kontakion & Troparion2 hymnsReadHide

KontakionTone 2

(Podoben: “You sought the heights...”) You appeared as a bright star announcing Christ with your radiance,
which is repulsive to this world, O Martyr Julian;
extinguishing the allure of false gods,
you enlighten the faithful,
always interceding for us all.

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

TroparionTone 3

Your holy martyr Julian, O Lord,
through his sufferings has received an incorruptible crown from You, our God.
For having Your strength, he laid low his adversaries,
and shattered the powerless boldness of demons.
Through his intercessions, save our souls!

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

Timeline2 momentsReadHide

138–161Martyrdom under Antoninus PiusJulian, a young Christian from Dalmatia, confessed Christ in Campania, was imprisoned and tried before the governor Flavian, and was beheaded during the reign of the emperor Antoninus Pius.
Jul 28CommemorationThe Orthodox Church commemorates the Martyr Julian of Dalmatia on July 28.

Contributions & Legacy

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Martyrdom

The synaxarion sets Julian's martyrdom in the Italian province of Campania, where, by tradition, the governor Flavian had given orders to seek out Christians and bring them before him for trial. The young Julian arrived in Campania from his native Dalmatia, and when he encountered imperial soldiers he openly identified himself, declaring that he was a Christian born in Dalmatia who had come to turn idolaters from their error.

The soldiers are said to have beaten him severely and to have imprisoned him in a pit for seven days without food or water. The tradition relates that an angel of God appeared to him and gave him heavenly food, sustaining him through his confinement. Brought to trial before the governor Flavian, Julian remained firm in the Faith.

According to the account preserved in the Prologue of Ohrid, his courage and steadfastness moved thirty onlookers to confess Christ. Sentenced to death, Julian knelt in prayer, giving thanks for his sufferings and asking God's mercy upon those who would honor his memory, and was then beheaded.

Relics & Shrines

No information about subsequent veneration, the distribution of relics, or the development of a cult is attested in the available Orthodox sources. His obscurity is consistent with the brief treatment he receives in the synaxarion.

Related Saints1 saintShowHide

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

Not to be confused with; the better-known Cilician martyr who suffered under Diocletian.

Martyr Julianof Tarsus

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