Holy Martyr Juliana and Six Hundred Thirty Martyrs with Her

Life

This glorious virgin and martyr was born in Nicomedia of pagan parents. Hearing from someone the Gospel preaching, Juliana with her whole heart turned to Christ and began to live strictly according to the Lord's commandments. A certain senator Eleusius was her betrothed. To turn him away from herself, Juliana said to him that Juliana would not marry him unless Eleusius became eparch of that city. Juliana proposed this to him thinking that this young man would never be able to attain to that high rank. But Eleusius exerted himself, and by flattery and bribery was appointed eparch of Nicomedia. And then Juliana revealed to him that she was a Christian, and that she could not enter into marriage with him until Eleusius accepted her faith, saying: What does it profit us to be united bodily but divided in spirit? At this Eleusius became embittered and accused her to her father. The wrathful father mocked her and beat her, and then handed her over to the eparch for interrogation. The eparch commanded that they beat her severely, and then cast her all wounded and bloodied into prison. But the Lord healed her in prison, and Juliana appeared before the eparch completely whole. The eparch cast her into a heated furnace, but the fire did not burn her. Seeing this miracle, many believed in Christ God. There were five hundred men and one hundred thirty women of such converts. All of these the eparch condemned to death and commanded that they be beheaded with a sword. Their souls passed into Paradise. Then the evil judge condemned holy Juliana to beheading with a sword. Joyful in spirit, Juliana went out to the place of execution, prayed to God on her knees and laid her head upon the block. Her head was cut off, and her soul went into the Kingdom of Christ's eternal light, in the year 304. God's punishment soon overtook Eleusius. Sailing on the sea, his ship was wrecked, and Eleusius fell into the water. But Eleusius did not find death in the water, but swam to a certain island, where dogs tore him apart and devoured him.

From the Hymn of Praise

The glorious mother of Peter the saint,When she was pregnant with Peter,She dreamed a dream and saw in itHow she held a lamb in her arms,