The Holy Martyr Eupsychius was born in the city of Caesarea in Cappadocia and received a Christian upbringing from his noble parents.
During the reign of Julian the Apostate (361-363), Saint Eupsychius entered into a Christian marriage.
At that time, Caesarea was home to the pagan temple of the goddess Fortuna, who was greatly revered by Julian the Apostate. While the marriage celebration of Eupsychius was going on, the pagans made a sacrifice to the goddess Fortuna.
Saint Eupsychius was inflamed with zeal for the Lord, gathered the people and destroyed the pagan temple. He knew that this would inevitably lead to punishment. Saint Eupsychius distributed all his possessions to the poor and prepared for martyrdom.
The enraged Emperor Julian unleashed his wrath not only on Saint Eupsychius, but also on the entire population of this city. He executed some citizens, sent the more honorable into exile; the Christian clergy were taken into military service, and property was taken from the churches. The city was stripped of its name Caesarea (that is, Royal) and turned into a simple village with the former name of Maza, and the inhabitants were heavily taxed. The emperor threatened to completely destroy the city if the inhabitants did not build a new pagan temple instead of the destroyed one.
Julian ordered Saint Eupsychius to be forced to sacrifice to idols by any means necessary. For many days, the holy sufferer was tortured on the gallows, as well as with iron claws. But his faith was firm, and the judge ordered the martyr to be beheaded with a sword (+ 362). At that time, Julian, going on a campaign against the Persians, passed through Cappadocia and approached Caesarea. The city was in danger, as the emperor intended to ruin it to the ground. Then the archbishop of the city, St. Basil the Great (+ 379; Commemoration of January 1), honoring Julian as a ruler, went out to meet him and presented him with three barley loaves, which he ate himself. The emperor ordered the squires to take the loaves, and Saint Basil was given a handful of hay, saying: "You gave us barley, animal food, get hay from us." The saint replied: "We, the king, have brought you what we eat ourselves, but you have given us animal food; you mock us, for you cannot by your power transform hay into bread, the natural human food." Julian angrily replied, "Know that I will feed you with this hay when I return here from Persia. I will tear this city to the ground and plow its place with a plow and turn it into a field. For I know that it was on your advice that the people dared to destroy the image and the temple of Fortune."
After that, the emperor continued on his way, but soon died during a campaign against the Persians. In 363, he was killed by the Holy Great Martyr Mercury (commemorated on November 24).
After his death, the Christians of Caesarea erected a beautiful church over the tomb of Saint Eupsychius and received help and healing from his relics.