4th century
Saints Cyricus and Julitta
Julitta of Iconium and her three-year-old son Cyricus, who were martyred at Tarsus in Cilicia during the persecution of Diocletian.
Biography
Julitta came from Iconium in Asia Minor and lived in the time of Diocletian. To escape the persecution of Christians she fled with her three-year-old son Cyricus, first to Seleucia and then to Tarsus, where she was arrested by the governor Alexander.
According to tradition, while Julitta was being tortured in front of her child, the governor tried to win the boy over; Cyricus instead called on the name of Christ, and the enraged governor threw him down the steps, killing him.
Julitta then endured further torture and was herself put to death. Their cult spread widely in the West, especially in France, where many places still bear Cyricus's name (Saint-Cyr).