File:Statue, The Church Of St Julian The Hospitaller, Wellow - Geograph.org.uk - 1288959.jpg
Dedicated in the 9th century, the story was first quoted by St Antonine in circa 387AD. However, many later writings claim the former to be entirely mythical, since he has no fixed date, no country of origin, nor tomb or record of burial, while the latter is usually a joint dedication with that of his wife, Bassilissa.
It seems that in England, the former is taken as correct, since no mention is made of Bassilissa, and at Wellow he is depicted in both stained glass and stone. His legend is roughly as follows:
Julian was said to have been a nobleman, young and wealthy, possibly Egyptian by birth, living towards the end of the Roman Empire. Whilst hunting one day, the stag he was stalking warned him that if he killed the stag, he would also kill his parents. He duly killed the stag and later, due to a case of mistaken identity, killed both his parents. Having travelled to Rome with his wife for absolution, he undertook to devote his life to the suffering and poor. They turned his parent house into a hospital, to care for pilgrims as they passed, with Julian also acting as ferryman to those crossing the river on whose banks the house stood. Here they continued until his wife's death.
During the reign of Diocletian, Julian was denounced as a Christian, and after a brief term of imprisonment somewhere in Egypt, was cruelly put to death.
Here at Wellow, a statue in the niche of the porch shows St Julian holding an oar and blessing those who enter. Also, he is depicted in the east window, holding an oar in one hand and the church in the other. Other references are the hunting scenes and the running stag seen in the tie beam roof to the Nave.