St Julian the Hospitaller

Matricide, patricide, a wife suspected of infidelity, all of these things are a part of the story of St. Julian the Hospitaller. His story could be the plot line for a modern soap opera in some ways. Or a modern reality show.

Given that you already know part of the story, you would assume that Julian didn't get along with his parents or have a happy marriage. None of that is true. Julian truly loved his parents. he was the son of son of Geoffry, the good Duke of Angers & the Duchess Emma. Geoffry ruled over that province which included Angers, Torraine, Maine & Poitou. The family was truly loving & kind to each other as well as their subjects who saw the Duke more as a father than a ruler. If Julian could be said to have a vice, it was his love for hunting.

1 day when he was about 18 to 20 years old he went out hunting & shot a stag. Miraculously the stag prophecied that 1 day Julian would kill his parents. rather than go home Julian took off & ended up in Galicia where he met & married a widow. He served the King who richly rewarded him for his services.

Since his disappearance his parents searched for him as they had no idea where he was or why he disappeared. 20 years after he left they found where he was & appeared at the castle door looking for him. he was once again out hunting. But his wife welcomed them in. They were overjoyed to have found their son. She was just as joyful & glad to finally meet them. She took care of all their needs. Since they were tired, she offered her in-laws the master bedroom to sleep in. She exhorted the servants to tell Julain the good news immediately upon his return. She then went off to Church.

Meanwhile Julian returned from the hunt, totally unaware of what happenned. For some reason, no servant was there to meet him with the good news. Going up to the master bedroom he saw 2 people asleep in the bed. Thinking it was his wife with another man he let jealousy take over & stabbed them both through the covers, killing them instantly. Just as the stag had foretold.

As he was leaving the room his wife came back from church & told him about the parents. He was overcome with grief & began reproaching himself for what he did. "Better had I never been born, for in soul and body I am cursed."

At the urging of his wife, they made a pilgrimage to Rome in order to do penance for his sins. On the return from Rome they decided not to return home. Rather as a part of their penance the couple decided to use their riches to build a hospice near a river where many pilgrims crossed. Julian operated a boat & rowed the pilgrims across the river for free. Additionally they built a hospital for the poor.

For many many, years they continued to serve God by serving those in need that came to them. They forgot their past life & hunting no longer mattered to him. All that mattered was atoning for his past sins of jealousy & the resultant murders. 1 day a leper showed up who was nearly frozen to death. Having nowhere else to put him, Julian gave him his own bed. After being cared for by Julian, the leper revealed himself to be an angel sent by Christ. He told Julian that his penance had been accepted by God.

Julian is the patron saint of hunters, hotel keepers & boatmen as well as travellers. His feast day is 12 February.