Житие преподобных Иулия пресвитера и Иулиана диакона

The birthplace of Saints Julius and Julian was the country of Myrmidonia 4084. Both of them were siblings and from infancy were raised in Christian piety and received good instruction in book teaching. Having reached adulthood, they began to lead their lives in virgin purity, serving God with fasting and prayer, studying day and night in the law of the Lord. For such a godly life they were awarded church degrees: Julius was ordained a presbyter, and Julian a deacon; and they were in the Church of Christ, like two lamps, shining with good deeds and glorifying the Heavenly Father with them. At that time, among the wheat of holy faith there was still a lot of tares of idolatrous error. Although the east and west were at that time already in the power of Christian kings, and piety flourished everywhere, however, Hellenic wickedness was not yet completely exterminated, especially in the villages where people, in irrational blindness, still adhered to ancient idolatry. And so these two servants of Christ, filled with zeal for God, arrived in Constantinople to the pious Tsar Theodosius the Younger 4085 and asked to give them his royal charter, so that they could freely destroy idols in the Greco-Roman region, destroy and burn temples and visit groves and gardens planted in honor of idols, and in return create temples of God and spread the glory of the name of Jesus Christ. The king gave them permission for this, confirmed by a letter, in which was added a command that everywhere in the outskirts and cities all the rulers of the diocese (regional governors, princes, various dignitaries and city governors) obey Julius and Julian in all matters, and provide them with everything they need for the construction of the churches of God. They received a blessing from the Holy Patriarch for preaching and for the creation and consecration of churches. And so these two holy warriors of Christ, like two apostles, went to the countries of the Greco-Roman kingdom, preaching the name of Jesus Christ to the pagans, and converted many to Christ God, confirming their faith not only with words, but also with miracles; for from God they were given grace and power to heal the sick and cast out demons - and everywhere they destroyed idol temples and destroyed idols. In the same places where the Greeks, in their bitterness, resisted them, and there, having shown the royal command to the rulers and mayors and received help from them, the saints carried out their work. They built many churches not only with benefits from the royal treasury, but also with the generous donations of true believing Christians: for everyone everywhere who saw such teachers, educators and miracle workers did not spare their property, donating it to the holy cause. In this way they went through East and West, and created up to a hundred churches. The miracles revealed by them are countless, so that it is impossible to convey them in detail, and only a few can be remembered. Once, during the construction of a church in Vivla, which was built through the efforts of the holy brothers, one of the workers carelessly cut off the thumb on his left hand with an iron tool, so that a lot of blood flowed out, and the man fell from exhaustion and pain, as if dead. The saints, seeing this, took the cut off finger, applied it to the composition, making the sign of the cross over the sore spot, and the finger immediately grew to its composition, and the wound closed. The saints, having raised the healthy man from the ground, put his iron weapon in his hands, saying: – Be strong and work in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. At another time, the saints were in the diocese of Milano 4086, near a city called Gavdian. Here they, having cleared a certain village of idol churches, themselves worked on building a church (ninety-ninth in the number of churches they built). Together with them, many believers worked on this construction, helping them. Some people happened to be passing by that place. Having seen those working on the construction of the church, they decided with themselves that the builders would delay them and, even if they did not want to, would convince them to take part in the work 4087. And since it was impossible for them to bypass this place, they did this: they laid one of their own in a cart, as if dead, pretending that they were transporting the deceased for burial. As soon as they approached the very place where the church was built, the holy brothers turned to them with the words: - Children! Help us in our work. “We cannot hesitate because we are transporting a dead man for burial.” “Aren’t you lying, children?” – asked Saint Julius. “No, father,” they answered. “Then let it be done to you according to your word,” Saint Julian told them. And those people went their way. Having gone a little further, they told the one who pretended to be dead to get up. But he didn't get up; then they began to push him harder, thinking that he was sleeping. However, they soon became convinced that he really died. This miracle became known everywhere, and everyone was in fear and horror, so that from that time no one dared to tell a lie to the saints. Some time after this, Saint Julius the Presbyter once said to his brother, Saint Julian: “You stay, brother, to build this ninety-ninth church here, and I’ll go and look for another place where I could create the hundredth, so that after creating a hundred churches on earth, by the grace of God, we will be resettled into the Church not made by hands, eternal in heaven.” Having said this, Julius set off. Having walked a distance of about two miles, he came to a lake called Mukoros. The lake is very large; on it he saw a large island, very beautiful, on which no one lived. Looking at that island from afar, the saint began to think about how he could get across to it. And since there was no boat nearby, he stood up for prayer and, kneeling down, prayed, saying: - Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ! By Your almighty power, grant me that this mantle of mine, which is on me, may serve me instead of a boat, so that, being on it, I, controlled by Your right hand, can cross to that island without plunging into the water. Having prayed like this, he spread his mantle on the water and, having made the sign of the cross, climbed onto it - and the mantle, like a boat, did not submerge in the water. The saint, holding a rod in his hands and rowing the water like an oar, steered a wonderful boat made of mantle and reached that island. Coming out to the island, he walked around it and was very happy to see its beauty. In the middle of the island, Saint Julius saw a huge stone that occupied a large space. He decided to build the hundredth church on it in the name of the holy twelve Apostles. But on that island there were large numbers of snakes and all sorts of poisonous reptiles, which is why none of the people dared to even approach that island. The saint, having climbed onto that stone, made a cross from a small tree, and planted it in a small cleft in the stone. Having then prayed to God, he called to himself in the name of Jesus Christ all the snakes and reptiles - and a great multitude of them gathered to him. The saint told them: “You have already lived long enough in this place, but now in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I command you to leave this island and provide this place for the house of God and for the servants of Christ who intend to live here.” As soon as the saint said this, all the snakes and reptiles, as if understanding his words, immediately obeyed his command, and, having gathered together, retired to the western side of the island; then, plunging into the lake, they swam to the other side to a mountain called Kamunkin, and settled there, making nests, and the island was cleared of reptiles. The saint, having crossed back the first time, headed to the Christian villages located in the surrounding area, and, having received help and everything necessary from them, returned on boats with workers to the island; then, having laid a church on stone in the name of the holy twelve Apostles, he began to build it. At that time, his brother Saint Julian, having completed the construction of a church near the city of Gavdian, decided to build a coffin in it for his brother Julia, and began to build it. Saint Julius, having learned about the completion of the construction of that church, went to see it and visit his brother together. When he arrived there, he met him with these words: “Here, brother, with God’s help and through your prayers, the church building is completed, only a coffin is being built for you, so that after your repose your body will rest in it.” But Saint Julius, filled with the prophetic gift, said to Saint Julian: “Hurry to finish the construction of this coffin, because you yourself will have to rest in it.” And this came true. When the tomb was arranged, Saint Julian the deacon reposed in the Lord. Saint Julius, having honorably buried his brother’s body, returned again to the island, where he continued the construction of the church dedicated to the apostles. Having finished building the church, he built a coffin for himself in it, because he foresaw his approaching death, since he was already advanced in years. At that time, in Mediolan, the king appointed one senator, named Avdentius, a man of noble birth, virtuous and pious, as eparch to govern the entire country. Having learned about Saint Julian, he and his family wanted to visit the island of Mukoros to see the man of God Julia the presbyter and see the church built by him; They boarded the ship and set off. Arriving on the island, Avdentius was honored to receive a blessing from the saint and talk with him about spiritual subjects, and also examined the church building; after that he turned to the saint with these words: - Father! If you intend to build anything else, then tell me, and I will help you from my estate, for I am gladly ready to serve you in everything you need. - Child! We don’t need to build anything else, all that remains is to build a coffin for you near my coffin, because after your death your body will rest in this church. “Let your coffin, father, be here, but I have already arranged a coffin for myself in Mediolan.” “Believe me, child,” Saint Julius said to him, “that your body will be buried near my body, and not in any other place.” Having had a sufficient conversation with the saint and received a blessing from him, Avdentius returned to Mediolan. In a short time, Saint Julius reposed in the Lord and was buried in his tomb, from which, through his prayers, many healings were given to the sick. After the repose of Saint Julius, his deputy was the pious presbyter Elijah. After several years, Avdentius, the diocese of Mediolan, also died and was laid in his tomb in Mediolan; but on the morning of the next day he was found lying outside his coffin, not thrown out of it by anyone, but as if taken out of it and carefully laid out. His body was placed back in the same coffin, but the second time he was found lying outside the coffin; the same thing happened the third time. They wanted to put him in another place, but there was no place for his burial anywhere. Then the household remembered the words of Saint Julius, spoken to Avdentius, that he would not be buried anywhere other than next to his body; and took the body of Avdentius to the island of Mukoros. Blessed Elijah, with crosses, censers and candles, met the body of the eparch, and with appropriate honors gave him burial at the tomb of the Monk Julius. Thus the prophecy of the saint was fulfilled, to the glory of Christ our God, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen. Emperor Theodosius the Younger reigned from 408 to 450. Mediolan - now Milan - in Italy. According to the custom of that time, everything that happened near the construction site had to take part in the construction of the church. Passers-by, due to this custom, could not refuse to help the builders if they were invited. Miltle - outerwear, mantle, cloak. You might be interested in: