Publia the Confessor

Saint Publia the Confessor was a deaconess and abbess in Antioch in the time of the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363).

She was widowed young and devoted all her strength to raising her son John in the Christian faith. John became a presbyter, and Publia, for her prudent and ascetic life, was found worthy to be a deaconess. She guided widows and young women who wished to give themselves to the service of God and made her house a monastery. During Julian's persecution Publia and her sisters denounced the emperor's impiety. When he passed by her house, the sisters sang Psalm 113 aloud, which mocks idols. The emperor's soldiers beat the venerable woman fiercely, but she bore the beating with patience. She did not live long afterwards and fell asleep peacefully in the Lord.

She is commemorated on 9 October, according to the new calendar.