Presbyter
During the reign of Diocletian and Maximian, the governor of the Galatian region, Antoninus, learned that the holy martyr Julian was hiding in a cave with 40 Christians who were conducting a divine service. Julian, without betraying his companions, appeared before the court, where he refused to offer a sacrifice to the pagan gods, stating that for Christians, there is no better fate than to die for their faith.
The governor ordered a heated iron bed to be prepared, but the angel of the Lord kept the martyr unharmed. Antoninus, humiliated, commanded that Julian's mother be brought in, who also did not dissuade her son from his faith. Ultimately, Julian was sentenced to be beheaded. Before his execution, he prayed, asking the Lord for forgiveness of sins for those who would take soil from his grave.
After his death, the 40 Christians who had been hiding in the cave came to the place of execution and confessed Christ, for which they were also captured and sentenced to death.
