The origins of the Abbey of San Giuliano are steeped in legend. According to tradition Isaac of Monteluco, a hermit of Syriac origin, arrived in Spoleto around 528, fleeing the persecution of Emperor Anastasius, and chose Monteluco as a natural place of isolation and prayer, not far from the city of Spoleto. He was soon followed by other hermits who occupied cells and natural caves scattered around the mountain. A virgin named Gregoria offered Isaac her land on the hill to found a monastery and a church dedicated to St Julian the Martyr, which would be a reference point for the hermit colony. The monks who distinguished themselves for their holiness of life, including Isaac himself, who was later venerated as St Isaac of Monteluco, would be buried there.