Julian of Emesa

Saint Julian of Emesa, Martyr, called in Arabic Elian al-⁠Homsi, was a Christian of Emesa (today Homs, in Syria), who according to tradition practised as a physician, and was put to death for his faith in the third or fourth century, in 284 or 312. He is remembered on 6 February in the Orthodox and the Catholic Church, and on 7 February in the Anglican, Oriental and Ancient Church of the East traditions.

He was born at Emesa, into a Christian family. From youth he studied medicine and became a physician. Healing the people there of diseases, he also taught them faith in Christ, and brought many pagans to Christ and baptized them. During the persecution of Christians in the time of the emperor Numerian, in the year 284, the bishop of Emesa, Silvanus, the deacon Luke and the reader Mocius, whose memory is on 29 January, were seized and, after being condemned, thrown to beasts to be eaten. Seeing this, Julian ran to them and began to embrace them before all. For this he was arrested and brought to trial. By the sentence, a great nail was driven into his head and nails into his hands and feet, and he was thrown into a cave, where he gave up his spirit in the year 284.

The Church of Saint Elian was founded in 432 on the spot where he is said to have died, and his remains were placed in a sarcophagus in a small chapel to the right of the church's main crypt.