Saint Julius and Saint Julian
Apostles of the islands of Lake Maggiore
Brothers from Greece, Julius the priest and Julian the deacon were sent by the Pope to evangelize Northern Italy during the reign of Theodosius. They are famous for building one hundred churches and performing miracles on the Italian lakes, notably at Orta. They are invoked against wolves and snakes.
Guided reading
2 reading sections
SAINT JULES ET SAINT JULIEN,
Imperial context and departure on mission
Under the reign of Emperor Theodosius, the brothers Julius and Julian left Greece to evangelize the remote regions of Northern Italy after receiving the Pope's blessing.
Juliu Jules Greek priest, evangelizer of Upper Italy and patron saint of Orta. s an d Juli Julien Greek deacon, brother of Saint Julius and missionary in Northern Italy. an were brothers: Julius was a priest and Julian a deac on. Emperor Theodos L'empereur Théodose Roman emperor who ordered the closure of pagan temples. ius definitively closed the temples of the idols, permitted them to be torn down or transformed into churches, and called upon men of good will to go and evangelize the remote lands of his empire, which had become the last refuge of paganism. The islands with which the lakes of Upper Italy are sown were in this situation.
The two brothers Julius and Julian, natives of Greece, devoted themselves to this type of apostolate: they came to ask for their mission fr om the Pontiff Pontife de Rome The Pope to whom the two brothers request their mission. of Rome, and headed towards the north of Italy.
Miracles, constructions, and patronage
Credited with the construction of one hundred churches, the two saints performed miracles on Lake Orta, notably crossing on their cloaks and expelling serpents.
The representations given of these two Saints recall their most striking actions: thus they have been painted supporting sacred edifices with their hands, for they are reputed to have raised a hundred churches; — they cross Lake Orta on their cloaks, to show the power of faith to the boatmen who refused them passage; — Saint Julius drives away with a sign of the cross s saint Jules Greek priest, evangelizer of Upper Italy and patron saint of Orta. erpents that abandon the island where he was going to build his last church, and plunge into the waters of a lake. The two Saints are invoked against wolves, of which they are also reputed to have rid the regions they evangelized. Saint Julius is the special patron of Orta, in the Novara region.
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Call from Emperor Theodosius to evangelize remote regions
- Departure from Greece for Italy
- Mission received from the Pontiff of Rome
- Evangelization of Upper Italy and the lake islands
- Construction of about a hundred churches
- Miraculous crossing of Lake Orta on their cloaks
- Expulsion of the snakes from the island of the last church
Miracles
- Crossing Lake Orta on their cloaks
- Expulsion of snakes from an island by a sign of the cross
- Protection against wolves