Why is St. Julian Popular in Malta and Boulder, CO?

St. Julien’s Hotel and Spa - an upscale hotel in Boulder, Colorado

Veneration in Malta

Devotion to St. Julian started in the Maltese Islands in the 15th century after the discovery of his relics in the city of Macerata. It was introduced by the noble family of De Astis, high-ranking in Malta at the time, who had strong connections with the Bishop of Macerata. Three churches were built in his honor before the arrival of the Knights: in Tabija, towards Mdina; in Luqa; and in Senglea (Isla). This last one had a storage room for hunters, and served to popularize this devotion through the sailors arriving at the Three Cities. In the 16th century there existed a hospital, Ospedale di San Giuliano, in the Citadel in Gozo, showing a wide devotion to the saint. Being an order of hospitaliers, the Knights of St. John helped widen further this devotion. In 1539 they rebuilt the church in Senglea and in 1590 built another church in the parish of Birkirkara, a section that since then was called St. Julian's. In 1891 the church was made a parish, the only one ever dedicated to the saint in Malta.

Julian the Hospitaller in literature and music

• Gustave Flaubert wrote a short story entitled "La légende de Saint-Julien l'Hospitalier", included in his Three Tales.
• Subject of an opera by Camille Erlanger, La légende de Saint-Julien l'Hospitalier (1888) based on the Flaubert story.
• Subject of an opera by Riccardo Zandonai, Giuliano (1928) with libretto by Arturo Rossato, based on stories by Jacobus de Voragine and Gustave Flaubert.
• Walter Wangerin, Jr. wrote a novel, classified as historical fiction, titled "Saint Julian."
• One of the tales in Giovanni Bocaccio's Decameron is named The miracle of St. Julian, and is about a faithful devoté of St. Julian whose faith is put to test during a travel.

The Life of Saint Julian Hospitaller, (translated by Tony Devaney Morinelli). Earliest text: "La Vie de saint Julien"^[1]

Placenames

• St. Julian's - a town in Malta
• San Zulian - a church in Venice
• São Julião - other placenames in Portugal
• Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre - a chapel in Paris
• San Julián
• St. Julian, an historic housing complex in Ashfield, NSW, Australia.
• St. Julien’s, an upscale hotel and spa in Boulder, Colorado