The life of St Eupsychius of Caesarea in Cappadocia
Eupsychius joined other Christians in tearing the temple down, and when Julian learned of it he was furious at the city's Christian population; those responsible were sentenced to death or exile, and Eupsychius, reckoned the foremost among them, was tortured and beheaded in the year 362.
Ancient historians close to the events, including the church historian Sozomen, record the outline of what happened, though later retellings added further hagiographical detail to the story. The Christians of Caesarea, defying Julian's order that they rebuild the pagan temple, built a church in Eupsychius's honor instead, and Basil the Great, bishop of the city not many years later, kept an annual feast there in the martyr's memory, gathering the bishops of the region each year to the celebration. When Julian himself later passed through Caesarea on campaign against Persia, Basil is remembered as having gone out to meet him, offering him bread as a sign of welcome even from a hostile emperor.
