Saint Julian Bishop of Le Mans

Julian, honored as the first bishop of Le Mans (the ancient Cenomanis, seat of the Gallic Cenomani), is venerated as a missionary hierarch sent to evangelize Gaul. By the tradition preserved in the synaxarion, he was raised to the episcopate by the Apostle Peter and dispatched westward to preach the Gospel among the pagan population of the region. The same tradition, recorded as one possibility rather than a settled fact, identifies him with Simon the Leper of the Gospel (Mark 14:3), who is said to have taken the name Julian at his baptism.

The dating of Julian's life is uncertain and the traditions vary. The apostolic-era account attached to his name places him in the first century, while other reckonings assign him to the third century, or perhaps the fourth. The accounts agree that he established himself near the city, evangelized its inhabitants, and is remembered as the founder of the local Church and its episcopal line. His feast is kept on July 13.

According to the legends surrounding his mission, Julian's preaching was accompanied by miracles that opened the city to his message. When the city suffered for want of water, he thrust his staff into the ground and prayed, and water sprang forth, which allowed him to preach freely. He healed many sick through prayer and, by the most widely repeated account, restored sight to a blind man at the gate of the city's chief citizen. The conversion of this leading citizen and his household followed, and most of the populace embraced Christianity with them.