Holy Martyrs Kuriakos and Mother Yulletti – July 15

The legend of Yulletti (Julitta) and Kuriakos still persists in various forms. We are told that when persecution was raging against Christians under Diocletian (284-305), a wealthy and pious Christian noblewoman named Julitta was widowed with a three-year-old son named Kuriakos (Cyricus). As a Christian, Julitta decided that life in her native Iconium in Lycaonia was too dangerous.

She fled to Seleucia, taking Cyricus and two faithful maids, leaving behind her house, property and slaves. But to her alarm found that the governor there, Alexander, was also savagely persecuting Christians. The four fugitives journeyed on to Tarsus in Antioch. Unfortunately, Alexander was paying a visit to that city when the fugitives were recognized and arrested.

Julitta was put on trial. She brought her young son with her to the courtroom. She refused to answer any questions about herself. She refused to reveal her name, except to say that she was a Christian. Strengthened by the Lord, the saint fearlessly responded to the judge’s questions and firmly confessed her faith in Christ. The court pronounced its sentence: Julitta was to be stretched on the rack and then beaten. While being tortured, Julitta repeated “I am a Christian, and will not offer sacrifice to demons.” The guards, about to lead Julitta away, separated Cyricus (Kuriakos) from his mother. The infant Cyricus cried at seeing his mother’s suffering, and strained to go to her. The child was crying, and Alexander, in a vain attempt to pacify him, took Cyricus on his knee and tried to sooth him. Terrified and longing to run back to his mother, Cyricus kicked the governor and scratched his face. The child broke free and cried out “Let me go to my mother. I am a Christian.“

Looking at St. Kuriakose, Alexandros asked again to agree to worship the idols. St. Kuriakose replied “Your idols are made of stone and wood. My real God is Jesus Christ.” And, the Saint shouted “I am Christian, I am Christian And, the Saint shouted “I am Christian, I am Christian.” Alexander stood up in a rage and flung the toddler down the marble steps, fracturing the boy’s skull and killing him.

Cyricus’s mother did not weep. Instead she thanked God that He had made the infant worthy of a martyr’s crown and went cheerfully to torture and death. Her son had been granted the crown of martyrdom. This made the governor even angrier. He decreed that her sides should be ripped apart with hooks, and then she was beheaded with a sword. Finally, the Governor ordered to cut the heads off of St. Cyriacus (Qyriacus) and St. Julietta, his mother, and they received the crown of martyrdom. Many saw this and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, and received the crown of martyrdom. Both she and Cyricus were flung outside the city, on the heap of bodies belonging to criminals, but the two maids rescued the corpses of the mother and child and buried them in a nearby field. (Died 304)

There are places named after Cyricus all over Europe and the Middle East, but without the name Julitta attached. The relics of Sts. Cyricus and Julitta were found during the reign of Emperor Constantine. Not far from Constantinople, a monastery was established in honor of the martyrs, and a Church dedicated to them was erected near Jerusalem. Kuriakose (Quriaqos in Syriac Aramaic) means “belonging to the Lord”. The saint’s life is one of the many precious instances in history where we observe the love of the Cross and martyrdom exhibited in a mother-son relationship. In India we have some Churches dedicated to St. Kuriakose like the ones at Anandapally, Melpadom, Mundukuzhy and Puramattom.

“Blessed are you, O’ Saint Kuriakose and Saint Yulithi;
You trampled all pain and yearned for the love of Christ.
You savored who God is.
You died to live again and to become living together and again, with Christ and in Him“.

May your memories be honored in heaven and on earth. May your prayers help us always, and by your prayers, may we learn and yearn to live together and again with Christ.