Akathistos

Juliana helped me to easily start off this series on women saints by requesting that I share her patron saint.

Saint Juliana of Lazarevo (?-1604) was a married laywoman who spent her life as a homemaker, wife and mother in the Murom region of Russia during the reign of Ivan the terrible. After the falling asleep in the Lord of her mother and grandmother, Juliana was placed in the care of her aunt’s family who ridiculed her for her religious beliefs and practices through which she remained meek and respectful. When she turned sixteen, a local nobleman was attracted to Juliana’s charitable nature and married her. She bore seven children: six sons and one daughter. Her parents-in-law, being so impressed with her virtue, put her in charge of the entire household. Despite her busy schedule, Juliana always found time for praying, fasting, giving alms and doing good deeds. She usually ate one meal per day, giving much of her food away to the hungry, and went without sleep, spending those extra hours either in prayerful vigil or making handiwork that she gave to the poor or sold for money which she then gave to charity. Juliana even welcomed orphans, widows and beggars into their home.

During times of famine, Juliana always forsake her own hunger in order to give food to the hungry. When disease spread, rather than shunning the sick, she risked her own health by caring for the sick. When Russia suffered widespread crop failures, famines, epidemics, civil strife and foreign invasion all at once, Juliana staved off starvation by making bread for her family, her serfs and her neighbors from tree bark. Surprisingly, this bread was unexpectedly sweet and hungry people came from miles around to partake of it. Her children believed that the bread was made sweet through Juliana’s prayerfulness and holiness.

After her two sons died, Juliana wanted to retire to a monastery and live as a nun. But her husband asked her to remain with the family. As a compromise, they agreed to live a chaste marriage. While still tending to the home and helping others through her handiwork, Juliana began to pray the Jesus Prayer without ceasing. It eventually entered into a rhythm of her breathing and her heartbeat: her grown children reported witnessing her lips moving and her fingers manipulating the knots of her prayer rope even while she slept.

After ten years her husband fell asleep in the Lord and Juliana went to church everyday, prayed, fasted and gave so much to charity, she often had to borrow money from her children to distribute alms. As she grew in age and poverty, Juliana became more joyful, but she eventually became ill and was confined to a bed. As she felt her life coming to a close, she called for her priest, confessed and communed. She made the sign of the Cross and died a righteous woman. Those who were present saw a golden halo shining around her head; and while her body was laid out for the funeral vigil, it shone with an unearthly light and gave off a pleasant fragrance.

In 1615, eleven years after her repose, Juliana’s grave became uncovered in preparation for her son’s burial. Her body had not decomposed and her coffin was full of thick fragrant myrrh. This myrrh became a healing balm for those who anointed themselves with it in faith, and soil from her burial site applied to the sick and injured brought relief and recovery.

The Church remembers Saint Juliana of Lazarevo on January 2.

Troparion 4: Shining forth with grace divine, even after death thou hast revealed the radiance of thy life; for thou pourest forth fragrant myrrh for healing upon all sick who approach the shrine of thy relics with faith. O righteous mother Juliana, entreat Christ God, that our souls be saved.

Troparian 8: All of us amid misfortune and pain hymn the holy Juliana as a helper quick to hear; for she lived a God-pleasing life in the world and gave countless alms to the poor. Wherefore, she hath found the grace of miracles at the command of God.