Many Saint has the name Julian but today 9th of January we celebrate Saint Julian of Antioche the husband of St Basillisse. We call them virgin spouses and religious martyrs.
Coming from a wealthy family, Julien's parents wanted him to marry, but he wanted to preserve his purity. Eventually, he took a wife, and with his wife, they promised to respect each other and live separately. When their parents died, they sold all their possessions and devoted all the proceeds to charity. Many young men followed Julian to accomplish his work, as well as young girls who took Basilisse as an example and followed her as well.
Emperor Maximin II continued the persecution of Christians by Diocletian. He sent Marcian to Antioch, a cruel officer, in pursuit of Julian. In court, the judges could do nothing and Marcian had the place burned down, but Julian escaped unharmed. In another court, Julien was hit with a rope tied at the end, one of the soldiers was accidentally hit in the eyes and lost his sight, but Julien healed him. Marcien had him chained up and dragged into the street. At that moment, Selze, Marcien's seven-year-old son, saw the cruelty and was touched by Julien's courage. He publicly declared that he wanted to be part of the Lord's community. Marcian took Selze and Julian and threw them into a pit, but as soon as they were at the bottom, the light from heaven shone on them and the stinking smell that reigned there changed into a pleasant sweet fragrance. Witnessing these miracles, about twenty of the guards present were converted.
Marcian had a place prepared to burn Julian and his companions, and they coated it with oil and resin. At the same time, a pagan funeral procession passed by the place, Marcian ordered Julian to resurrect the dead man. After Julian's prayer to God, the dead man stood up and said, "Jesus Christ is the only God I want to serve. Unaware of this new miracle, Marcian still led him to the pyre, but there again the oil and resin turned into a spring. Dejected, Marcian had them thrown into prison. He sent his wife there to persuade Selze to reconsider his decision, but once in the dungeon, it was she who asked to be baptized. Stubbornly, Marcian had Julian and his companions thrown into the animal pit, but the animals didn't even touch them. As a last resort, he had them beheaded.
