Juliana of Nicomedia
Encyclopedia
Saint Juliana of Nicomedia is said to have suffered Christian
martyr
dom during the Diocletian
persecution
in 304. She was popular in the Middle Ages
, especially in the Netherlands
, as the patron saint
of sickness.
Churches mention a holy martyr Juliana in their lists of saints. The oldest historical notice of her is found in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum
for 16 February, her place of birth being given as Cumae
in Campania
("In Campania Cumbas, natale Julianae").
It is true that the reference is contained only in the single chief manuscript of the above-named martyrology (the Codex Epternacensis). It is nevertheless clear that the notice is certainly authentic, from a letter of Saint Gregory the Great, which testifies to the special veneration of Saint Juliana in the neighbourhood of Naples
. A pious matron named Januaria built a church on one of her estates, for the consecration of which she desired relic
s (sanctuaria, that is to say, objects which had been brought into contact with the graves) of Saints Severinus and Juliana. Gregory wrote to Fortunatus II, Bishop of Naples
, telling him to accede to the wishes of Januaria ("Gregorii Magni epist.", lib. IX, ep. ####", in J. P. Migne's Patrologia Latina
, LXXXVII, 1015).
in his "Martyrologium" are purely legendary. According to this account, Saint Juliana lived in Nicomedia
and was betrothed to the Senator Eleusius. Her father Africanus was a pagan and hostile to the Christian
s. In the persecution of Maximian
, Juliana was beheaded after suffering frightful tortures. Another Christian named Barbara
suffered the death of a martyr along with Juliana and was likewise sainted.
Soon after a noble lady, named Sephonia, came through Nicomedia and took the saint's body with her to Italy
, and had it buried in Campania. Evidently it was this alleged translation that caused the martyred Juliana, honoured in Nicomedia, to be identified with the Saint Juliana of Cumae evidenced above, although they are quite distinct persons.
when ruthless Diocletian ruled (286–305 A.D.). They betrothed her with a senator named Eleusius who fell in love with her and was looking forward for their wedding. Although the heart of Juliana was conquered by the love for Christ
. The young daughter wanted to stay intact for Christ and she was trying to resist as far as she could to her fiancée's pursues. Trying to do that she stated at first ,like it was a cosmic girl's caprice, that she wouldn't marry him unless he was made the Roman governor
of capital of Bithynia. Even though it was a hard thing to do ,right after Juliana asked it Eleusius tried to fulfill it. He spent a lot of money and made his family and friends to mediate for him at the court. Finally in a short amount of time he made it and he became the Roman governor of Nicomedia
. He repeated then the marriage proposal at Juliana and she was made at this time to reveal at him her faith, the bride of Christ said at him: "Unless you abandon the adore of meaningless idols and you worship my Lord Christ I won't marry you, because it is impossible for our bodies to be unified if our hearts militate". Juliana stayed constant to her decision although her parents plead her not to. After that she got arrested and driven to the court in front of the Roman governor, as a follower of the religion which was then under persecution
. Her fiancée became her judge, torturer and executioner. He ordered people under his authority to take of her clothes and to submit her in a series of ruthless tortures. Firstly the saint was flagellated all over her body, then she was hanged from her hair and after they extirpate them (her hair). In prison devil was presented to her looking like an angel of our Lord and advised her to agree to offer sacrifice to idols. But the saint armed with pray wan the deceive of evil by hitting and spitting him. After this event she gained new powers to continue her fights. She was driven out of jail and she got interrogated. Eleusius plead her to marry him in order to get rid of the tortures and at the same time he promised her to allow her to worship her God freely. The saint remained constant. She was driven then in front of a big cauldron , where melted lead was seething, in order to throw her into. Juliana’s love for Christ was fervid, hotter than earthly fire and because of that her soul gave to her body some of the incorruptibility which eternal life promises to the chosen ones. The saint wasn’t harmed at all but when she touched the cauldron it tumbled and the melted lead was spilled at guards. In front of all these miracles many of the pagans who were present at the location of martyrdom, 500 men and 130 women, glorified the power given by the God at holy martyrs and they confessed Christ’s name. After this, they got beheaded on the spot after Roman governor’s order. Finally, Juliana got beheaded too and her soul happy went at Paradise, near our Lord and the other saints. She was 18 years old when with this way she was married to Christ.
, but Juliana denied strongly. Her denial left her parents surprised because until then she had never opposed to them and she was an obedient daughter. Eleusius with an hurt ego was seeking for revenge. After he made a research and spied Saint Juliana for a long time, he found out that Juliana had been converted to Christianity and her parents knew nothing about this. So after finding this out Eleusius impeached her at the Roman governor and as a result she got arrested and put in jail. While she was in prison efforts to make her wife of Eleusius were continued in order to get her rid off the danger of death but Juliana preferred dying than getting a pagan as a husband. Then Eleusius after being ordered by the Roman governor and filled with hate flagellated her in a ruthless way . After ,he burned her face with a heated iron and he said at her "Go now at the mirror to see your beauty" but Juliana answered him with a light smile: "At the resurrection of the righteous won’t exist burnings and wounds at the faces of the people but only at their soul because of their sins. So Eleusius I prefer to have now the wounds of the body which are temporary than having the wounds of the soul which torture eternal." After a while executor’s sword cut Juliana’s young head. Later Eleusius found tragic end eaten by a lion ,when he shipwrecked in an unknown island .
of sickness.
At the beginning of the 13th century her remains were transferred to Naples. The description of this translation by a contemporary writer is still extant. The feast of the saint is celebrated in the Latin Church on 16 February, in the Greek on 21 December.
Since her Acts describe the conflicts which she is said to have with the devil, she is represented in pictures with a winged devil whom she leads by a chain. She is also shown enduring various tortures or fighting a dragon.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
dom during the Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
persecution
Persecution of Christians
Persecution of Christians as a consequence of professing their faith can be traced both historically and in the current era. Early Christians were persecuted for their faith, at the hands of both Jews from whose religion Christianity arose, and the Roman Empire which controlled much of the land...
in 304. She was popular in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, especially in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, as the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of sickness.
Historical background
Both the Latin and GreekEastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
Churches mention a holy martyr Juliana in their lists of saints. The oldest historical notice of her is found in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum
Martyrologium Hieronymianum
The Martyrologium Hieronymianum was a medieval list of martyrs, one of the most used and influential of the Middle Ages...
for 16 February, her place of birth being given as Cumae
Cumae
Cumae is an ancient Greek settlement lying to the northwest of Naples in the Italian region of Campania. Cumae was the first Greek colony on the mainland of Italy , and the seat of the Cumaean Sibyl...
in Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
("In Campania Cumbas, natale Julianae").
It is true that the reference is contained only in the single chief manuscript of the above-named martyrology (the Codex Epternacensis). It is nevertheless clear that the notice is certainly authentic, from a letter of Saint Gregory the Great, which testifies to the special veneration of Saint Juliana in the neighbourhood of Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. A pious matron named Januaria built a church on one of her estates, for the consecration of which she desired relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
s (sanctuaria, that is to say, objects which had been brought into contact with the graves) of Saints Severinus and Juliana. Gregory wrote to Fortunatus II, Bishop of Naples
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Naples
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Naples is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in southern Italy, the see being in Naples. A Christian community was founded in the 1st century AD and the diocese was raised to the level of an Archdiocese in the 10th century. Two of Archbishops of Naples have...
, telling him to accede to the wishes of Januaria ("Gregorii Magni epist.", lib. IX, ep. ####", in J. P. Migne's Patrologia Latina
Patrologia Latina
The Patrologia Latina is an enormous collection of the writings of the Church Fathers and other ecclesiastical writers published by Jacques-Paul Migne between 1844 and 1855, with indices published between 1862 and 1865....
, LXXXVII, 1015).
The legend
The Acts of Saint Juliana used by BedeBede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
in his "Martyrologium" are purely legendary. According to this account, Saint Juliana lived in Nicomedia
Nicomedia
Nicomedia was an ancient city in what is now Turkey, founded in 712/11 BC as a Megarian colony and was originally known as Astacus . After being destroyed by Lysimachus, it was rebuilt by Nicomedes I of Bithynia in 264 BC under the name of Nicomedia, and has ever since been one of the most...
and was betrothed to the Senator Eleusius. Her father Africanus was a pagan and hostile to the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s. In the persecution of Maximian
Maximian
Maximian was Roman Emperor from 286 to 305. He was Caesar from 285 to 286, then Augustus from 286 to 305. He shared the latter title with his co-emperor and superior, Diocletian, whose political brain complemented Maximian's military brawn. Maximian established his residence at Trier but spent...
, Juliana was beheaded after suffering frightful tortures. Another Christian named Barbara
Saint Barbara
Saint Barbara, , Feast Day December 4, known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an early Christian saint and martyr....
suffered the death of a martyr along with Juliana and was likewise sainted.
Soon after a noble lady, named Sephonia, came through Nicomedia and took the saint's body with her to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and had it buried in Campania. Evidently it was this alleged translation that caused the martyred Juliana, honoured in Nicomedia, to be identified with the Saint Juliana of Cumae evidenced above, although they are quite distinct persons.
A more detailed biography-reference at martyrdom
Saint Juliana was daughter of pagan parents. Her parents were illustrious princes of NicomediaNicomedia
Nicomedia was an ancient city in what is now Turkey, founded in 712/11 BC as a Megarian colony and was originally known as Astacus . After being destroyed by Lysimachus, it was rebuilt by Nicomedes I of Bithynia in 264 BC under the name of Nicomedia, and has ever since been one of the most...
when ruthless Diocletian ruled (286–305 A.D.). They betrothed her with a senator named Eleusius who fell in love with her and was looking forward for their wedding. Although the heart of Juliana was conquered by the love for Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
. The young daughter wanted to stay intact for Christ and she was trying to resist as far as she could to her fiancée's pursues. Trying to do that she stated at first ,like it was a cosmic girl's caprice, that she wouldn't marry him unless he was made the Roman governor
Roman governor
A Roman governor was an official either elected or appointed to be the chief administrator of Roman law throughout one or more of the many provinces constituting the Roman Empire...
of capital of Bithynia. Even though it was a hard thing to do ,right after Juliana asked it Eleusius tried to fulfill it. He spent a lot of money and made his family and friends to mediate for him at the court. Finally in a short amount of time he made it and he became the Roman governor of Nicomedia
Nicomedia
Nicomedia was an ancient city in what is now Turkey, founded in 712/11 BC as a Megarian colony and was originally known as Astacus . After being destroyed by Lysimachus, it was rebuilt by Nicomedes I of Bithynia in 264 BC under the name of Nicomedia, and has ever since been one of the most...
. He repeated then the marriage proposal at Juliana and she was made at this time to reveal at him her faith, the bride of Christ said at him: "Unless you abandon the adore of meaningless idols and you worship my Lord Christ I won't marry you, because it is impossible for our bodies to be unified if our hearts militate". Juliana stayed constant to her decision although her parents plead her not to. After that she got arrested and driven to the court in front of the Roman governor, as a follower of the religion which was then under persecution
Persecution
Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another group. The most common forms are religious persecution, ethnic persecution, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these terms. The inflicting of suffering, harassment, isolation,...
. Her fiancée became her judge, torturer and executioner. He ordered people under his authority to take of her clothes and to submit her in a series of ruthless tortures. Firstly the saint was flagellated all over her body, then she was hanged from her hair and after they extirpate them (her hair). In prison devil was presented to her looking like an angel of our Lord and advised her to agree to offer sacrifice to idols. But the saint armed with pray wan the deceive of evil by hitting and spitting him. After this event she gained new powers to continue her fights. She was driven out of jail and she got interrogated. Eleusius plead her to marry him in order to get rid of the tortures and at the same time he promised her to allow her to worship her God freely. The saint remained constant. She was driven then in front of a big cauldron , where melted lead was seething, in order to throw her into. Juliana’s love for Christ was fervid, hotter than earthly fire and because of that her soul gave to her body some of the incorruptibility which eternal life promises to the chosen ones. The saint wasn’t harmed at all but when she touched the cauldron it tumbled and the melted lead was spilled at guards. In front of all these miracles many of the pagans who were present at the location of martyrdom, 500 men and 130 women, glorified the power given by the God at holy martyrs and they confessed Christ’s name. After this, they got beheaded on the spot after Roman governor’s order. Finally, Juliana got beheaded too and her soul happy went at Paradise, near our Lord and the other saints. She was 18 years old when with this way she was married to Christ.
An other biography and description of martyrhood
Saint Juliana’s parents were pagans and they wanted to betroth her with Eleusius ,a prominent officer from AntiochAntioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
, but Juliana denied strongly. Her denial left her parents surprised because until then she had never opposed to them and she was an obedient daughter. Eleusius with an hurt ego was seeking for revenge. After he made a research and spied Saint Juliana for a long time, he found out that Juliana had been converted to Christianity and her parents knew nothing about this. So after finding this out Eleusius impeached her at the Roman governor and as a result she got arrested and put in jail. While she was in prison efforts to make her wife of Eleusius were continued in order to get her rid off the danger of death but Juliana preferred dying than getting a pagan as a husband. Then Eleusius after being ordered by the Roman governor and filled with hate flagellated her in a ruthless way . After ,he burned her face with a heated iron and he said at her "Go now at the mirror to see your beauty" but Juliana answered him with a light smile: "At the resurrection of the righteous won’t exist burnings and wounds at the faces of the people but only at their soul because of their sins. So Eleusius I prefer to have now the wounds of the body which are temporary than having the wounds of the soul which torture eternal." After a while executor’s sword cut Juliana’s young head. Later Eleusius found tragic end eaten by a lion ,when he shipwrecked in an unknown island .
Later history
The veneration of Saint Juliana of Nicomedia became very widespread, especially in the Netherlands. She became known as the patron saintPatron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of sickness.
At the beginning of the 13th century her remains were transferred to Naples. The description of this translation by a contemporary writer is still extant. The feast of the saint is celebrated in the Latin Church on 16 February, in the Greek on 21 December.
Since her Acts describe the conflicts which she is said to have with the devil, she is represented in pictures with a winged devil whom she leads by a chain. She is also shown enduring various tortures or fighting a dragon.
Literature
- Mombritius, Sanctuarium, II, fol. 41 v.-43 v.;
- Acta SS., FEB., II, 808 sqq.;
- J. P. Migne, P.G. CXIV, 1437–52;
- Bibliotheca Hagiographica LatinaBibliotheca Hagiographica LatinaThe Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina is a catalogue of Latin hagiographic materials, including ancient literary works on the saint's lives, the translations of their relics, and their miracles, arranged alphabetically by saint. It is usually abbreviated as BHL in scholarly literature. The...
, I, 670 sq.; Bibl. hagiogr. graeca (2nd. ed.), 134; - Nilles, Kalendarium manuale, I (2nd ed., Innsbruck, 1896), 359;
- Mazocchi, In vetus S. Neapolitanae ecclesiae Kalendarum commentarius, I (Naples, 1744), 556-9;
- OswaldOswald-Fictional characters:*Oswald Bastable, a character in E. Nesbit's The Story of the Treasure Seekers and Michael Moorcock's The Warlord of the Air*Oswald, servant of Goneril in Shakespeare's King Lear...
, St. Juliana (London, 1872) - Vita di S. Giuliana (Novara, 1889);
- Oskar Backhaus, Ueber die Quelle der mittelenglischen Legende der hl. Juliana und ihr Verhaltnis zu Cynewulfs Juliana (Halle, 1899).
External references
- Life of St Juliana in the Golden LegendGolden LegendThe Golden Legend is a collection of hagiographies by Jacobus de Voragine that became a late medieval bestseller. More than a thousand manuscripts of the text have survived, compared to twenty or so of its nearest rivals...
- Catholic Forum: St Juliana with details of her iconography Santa Giuliana di Nicomedia