Skip to Navigation

St. Julia, Virgin-Martyr, at Carthage

Commemorated on July 16

The Virgin Martyr Julia was born in Carthage in the fifth century to a Christian family. While still a girl, the Persians captured her, carrying her off to Syria and selling her into slavery. Fulfilling the Christian commandments, St. Julia faithfully served her master. She preserved her purity, kept the fasts and prayed to God. No amount of urging by her pagan master could turn her to idolatry.

One day, the master set off to Gaul and took St. Julia with him. Along the way, the ship stopped at the island of Corsica, and the master decided to take part in a pagan festival. However, Julia refused to join him and remained on the ship. The Corsicans plied the merchant and his companions with wine, and when they had fallen into a drunken sleep, they took Julia from the ship. St. Julia was not afraid to tell the Corsicans that she was a Christian, and the savage pagans crucified her.

An angel of the Lord reported the death of St. Julia to the monks of a nearby monastery. They took her body and buried it in a church in the monastery.

In 763, the relics of St. Julia were transferred to a women’s monastery in the city of Breschia.

By permission of the Orthodox Church in America (www.oca.org)