Upon entering Tarsus, it was noticeable that they were strangers to the city, and so Yulita and her son Keriakos were immediately arrested. Thus, she collected some of her possessions and together with her son and two maid-servants, fled to the city of Seleucia, where she found it’s Governor to be even more severe in his persecution of the Christians.
He committed suicide in the year 313A.D., the same year king Constantine issued the Decree of Reconciliation with the Christians.ĭuring, this disastrous time of persecution, following the imperial decree of Feb.24, 303A.D., multitudes of Christians were killed, and so Yulita feared for her son’s life in case she should be killed and her son fall into the hands of pagans. Because of his madness, he constantly wept until he became blind. Due to illness and madness, he was not able to continue with the duties of the state. They wanted to wipe out Christianity completely, but they couldn’t.ĭiocletian met with a tragic death which was the result of his resisting the Lord and the correct faith. The declared that all Christians should bow down and worship idols, otherwise they would face severs torture. The driving force behind this disaster was Galerius who constantly aroused Diocletians anger towards the Christians. This persecution spread throughout the city, and into all the empire. He also decreed that all Christians who held high positions were to be stripped of their civil rights, as well as depriving slaves of their freedom if they persisted in declaring their Christianity. 303 A.D., Diocletian decreed that all churches were to be destroyed and that all church books and documents were to be burnt. Not long into their marriage, Yulita’s husband died, leaving their only child in the care of the Lord and the mother who continued to raise him in God’s fear.
When he was just a year and a half old, he would declare, “I am Christian,” “I am Christian.” The parents nurtured the child in the church where he was taught spiritual virtues and the true Christian Orthodox faith. Our Lord Jesus Christ then granted them a child called “Keriakos”, which is derived from Greek, meaning, ‘Lord’ or Master’. She was married to a righteous man and because of their piety the Lord was glorified in their daily lives. She would always visit those in captivity and preach to them the word of God. Yulita was a wealthy, beautiful and virtuous woman, who remained close to the church and found pleasure and happiness in serving the poor and needy. Barnabus preached and many Greeks and Jews believed. Yulita was born from a royal family in the city of Iconium, Turkey, where St.