St. Julie, the beloved saint of the Corsican people

St. Julia (known also as Julie) was born in the ancient city of Carthage, in present-day Tunisia. Bought as an enslaved person, her master brought her to Nonza in the north of Corsica, where pagans there killed her. In the center of this small, picturesque village is a church with a bright pink exterior, Santa Ghjulia, dedicated to the martyr. Everyone in this quiet spot overlooking the Mediterranean knows her story.

St. Julie's parents were affluent, enjoying an easy lifestyle in the North African city of Carthage. In 439, the city was taken over by rebels. The population was forced to submit, and Julie, like all the other Christians, was taken prisoner and sold as a slave to a pagan man named Eusebius (not to be confused with the Eusebius who wrote the Ecclesiastical Histories and who lived from 260-339).

Eusebius recognized St. Julie for her hard work, efficiency, and trustworthiness and treated her well. He observed her devotion to prayer and the love of God.

When Eusebius set out for Gaul – the name of modern-day France -- he took Julie with him. On the way to mainland France, the vessel docked in Corsica, where a feast with local pagans was organized. Her master attended the feast while Julie, who disapproved of pagan practices, remained behind.

Eusebius reportedly got drunk at the feast. Taking advantage of the situation, the celebrants seizing Julie and tried to force her to worship an idol. She refused, continuing instead to invoke her love of Christ. St. Julie never wavered, and so she was tortured and flogged.

A Vatican News article recounts how these torments only made the saint confess her faith with more ardor:

“I confess Him,” she cried, “who for love for me has endured the torment of the flagellation. For if my Lord was crowned with thorns for me, was nailed to the tree of the Cross, wherefore ought I refuse to let my hair be torn from my head as price for the confession of my faith, that I might be worthy to seize the palm of martyrdom?”

In the end, she was crucified like her Lord Jesus.

St. Julie’s feast day is May 22; she is a recognized as a virgin martyr who remained steadfast in her beliefs to the end. Her body remained on the island. Every May 22, inhabitants of Nonza gather to celebrate her life of this female saint, carrying her statue in a procession.

Corsica has had a turbulent past. Constantly invaded and often occupied throughout the Middle Ages, the little island faced attacks from the Greeks, Romans, and Arabs from North Africa. Today, Corsica is a region of France – a popular holiday spot that is also very close to Italy. And since both countries have ruled Corscia in the past, its culture is a delightful mix of both. 

One thing that holidaymakers must not do in Corscia is to hurry, especially when eating out. Corsicans are very relaxed, much more so than the mainland French who flock here during the summer months.

Corsican food is based on the principal of terroir, a French word that signifies that the food is locally produced. What’s great about the food here is that agricultural methods and preparations are based primarily on tradition and not industrialized processes.

Here are some of the key ingredients in Corsican dishes:

Shepherds make Corsican cheese exclusively from sheep and goat’s milk - animals raised on grassy plains. Cheeses vary from soft and subtle to rich and creamy.

The Genoese introduced the chestnut tree to Corsica; as a result, many traditional dishes use chestnuts as a base. Handpicked and dried chestnuts can be ground into flour and used for making polenta, tarts, etc. Chestnut flour combined with malt makes a popular amber beer.

Cold-cut meats from Corsica are extremely popular. What's unique is that the meat comes from wild or farmed pigs fed on natural scrubland plants.

Corsica has numerous olive groves and produces six varieties of olives that make good quality olive oil, which is a staple of Corsican cuisine. Some trees are truly ancient, more than 2,000 years old.

Corsica is a land of tradition and culture. Even though St. Julie did not spend much time on the island, her humility and the remarkable values she lived throughout her short life were recognized by the people of Corsica and have had an impact on the culture.

St. Julie was proclaimed patroness of Corsica by a decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites on August 5, 1809.

For more information about the churches and chapels of Corsica, visit this site.