January 25 commemoration of the holy martyr Tatiana
Tatyana: angel's day, name day
The meaning of the name Tatyana
Most common names in Russia are of Greek origin. Therefore, the name Tatyana is often interpreted as Greek, derived from the verb “τάττω”, which means “to put in order,” “to arrange,” “to appoint.” Hence the interpretation of the name Tatyana as “founder” and “organizer.” However, this version seems dubious to linguists. After all, the name Tatyana in Greece is not only unpopular, but also little known.
Italy is another matter, where the name Tatyana is much more familiar. Etymologically, the name Tatyana goes back to the name of the legendary Sabine king Titus Tatius. The same Tatius who, rescuing from captivity the women treacherously abducted by Romulus, captured the Capitoline Hill.
According to one legend, Tatius even ruled Rome together with Romulus, which led to the unification of the Romans and Sabines into a single nation of Quirites, but that’s another story.
In a word, the name Tatyana comes from the Latin Tatius. This name was borne by the martyr Tatiana of Rome, whose memory is celebrated on January 25.
With the light hand of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, Saint Tatiana became not only a well-known saint in Russia, but also the patroness of Moscow University, and the day of remembrance of the martyr Tatiana - January 25 - began to be considered the day of students. As for the name, in Europe Tatyana is considered a purely Russian name. But the diminutive form Tanya, which is familiar to us, can be found as an independent name in the Scandinavian countries, Germany and the USA.
Life of Saint Tatiana
Saint Tatiana was born in Rome at the end of the second century into the family of a noble nobleman, who was three times consul of Rome. He secretly confessed Christ, so he raised his daughter in fear of God and devotion to God. Tatyana knew the Holy Scriptures well and, having matured, decided to devote herself to Christ. She became a deaconess, that is, a woman who carried out social ministry in the church. Her responsibilities included both caring for sick women and pregnant women, as well as preparing them for baptism and performing the baptism itself.
In 222, power in Rome passed to sixteen-year-old Alexander Sevier. And although his mother was a Christian, and Alexander himself had nothing against Christians, in reality power was concentrated in the hands of governors and regional rulers. Eparch Ulpian began to rule the country. Ulpian was an idolater, hated Christians and dealt with them in the most cruel way. During the persecution, Saint Tatiana was captured.
The saint was demanded to bow to idols in the temple of the god Apollo. Instead, the saint turned to Christ, and through her prayers an earthquake occurred. Not only the idols were destroyed, but also the temple itself, under the rubble of which the priests were buried. Saint Tatiana was brutally tortured. They gouged out her eyes and tortured her for a long time. The saint prayed loudly for her tormentors, calling on God to “open their spiritual eyes.” Suddenly, the eight tormentors saw angels who were repelling the blows inflicted on the holy virgin, and heard a heavenly voice. They not only believed, but with tears asked the saint to forgive them. For confessing Christ, they themselves were tortured and beheaded.
Saint Tatiana was tortured the next day, demanding that she renounce Christ. A miracle happened here when instead of blood, milk began to flow from the wounds and a fragrance began to emanate. And when on the third day they took her out of prison, they found that her body was as healthy as before and had no signs of torture. They again demanded that Saint Tatiana worship idols, this time the goddess Demeter. Arriving at the temple, Saint Tatiana crossed herself and began to pray. Immediately, before everyone’s eyes, both the idol and the temple were destroyed by lightning. Saint Tatiana was again tortured and thrown into prison at night. On the fourth day, she was taken to the circus arena to be devoured by a lion. But the beast obediently began to lick Saint Tatiana’s wounds and tore one of her tormentors to pieces. The saint was thrown into the fire, but she remained unharmed. Having declared her a sorceress, Saint Tatiana had her hair cut off, in which her magical power was believed to be concentrated. She was then taken to the temple of Zeus and locked up for two days. But here, too, through the prayer of Saint Tatiana, the idols were defeated. When it became obvious to the persecutors that torture was pointless, and Saint Tatiana was adamant and firm in her faith, she was beheaded along with her father. This happened on January 25, 226.
Icons of Saint Tatiana
Saint Tatiana is revered by all branches of the Christian Church. In the Catholic Church she is considered a little-known saint and her veneration is not widespread. On icons, it is customary to depict Saint Tatiana in a red robe (chasuble), which symbolizes her martyrdom and the blood shed by the saint in the name of Christ. Her head is covered with a white scarf, indicating her chastity. In her hand the saint holds a cross - a symbol of martyrdom, sometimes a scroll, the text of which is addressed to believers. On one such scroll we find: “In torment, praying to God for those who are tormenting, may he give them the knowledge of the truth.”
Saint Tatiana's Day
January 25 - Tatyana's Day in 2005 was officially declared the Day of Russian Students. It is widely celebrated by students not only in Russia, but almost throughout the former USSR: in Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine. The connection between Saint Tatiana and the students is unexpected and simple.
On January 12, 1755, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna satisfied and signed the petition of Count Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov (drawn up on the basis of the project of M.V. Lomonosov) to open a new educational institution in Moscow. On April 23, 1755, the University was opened in Moscow.
In 1786, the main building of the University appeared on Mokhovaya Street. Five years later, the left wing of the building was given over to the house church. The church was consecrated in 1791 in honor of the holy martyr Tatiana.
Thus, January 25 (coinciding with the end of the examination session) and May 7 (Lomonosov readings are held) became significant days for Moscow University, and the martyr Tatyana became the patroness of students.
Tatiana's Day in the Russian Empire, and especially in Moscow, was a noisy holiday, with wide festivities in which both professors and students participated on equal terms.
On the corner of Petrovsky Boulevard and Trubnaya Square there was a French restaurant “Hermitage Olivier”. Its owner, culinary specialist Lucien Olivier, on Tatiana's day gave the restaurant's hall to students who came here for a “walk” after official ceremonies and festive liturgy. Expensive dishes were removed from the tables, the floors were covered with straw, because the wine flowed like a river. Here and there there were enthusiastic speeches and toasts “to the glory of science and to the prosperity of ideals.” “Whoever on ordinary days gets drunk out of love for this art, gets drunk on Tatiana out of a sense of duty. Those who don’t drink at all on ordinary days get drunk on Tatyana to prove their solidarity with the drinking intelligentsia: let, they say, the paths of life have pulled us far from each other, scattered us apart, like haystacks in the sad poems of Alexei Tolstoy, but we are still alive, safe in the heart is the thread that attaches us with an inextricable connection to a common root, uniting us in the name of our common nurse - alma mater... Long live the alma mater, gentlemen! Gaudeamus igitur! vivat academy!”
And even the gendarmes on this day did not touch the intoxicated students, and if such a need nevertheless arose, they detained them, having first congratulated them on the holiday. This is exactly how Alexander Amfitheatrov captured Tatyana’s day in his literary sketch.
After the revolution, Tatyana's day began to be forgotten. They began to celebrate it again in connection with the transfer of the Tatiana Church to the Russian Orthodox Church in 1995.
Tatiana Church in Moscow
The university house church in the name of the holy martyr Tatiana was opened and consecrated in 1791. The parishioners of the Tatyana Church included professors and numerous students of the University. It was here, in the Tatyaninsky Church, that Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, historians Sergei Solovyov and Vasily Klyuchevsky, and many other prominent people of the Russian Empire were buried. Tatyana's Church burned during the fire of 1812. It was restored and re-consecrated in 1837. At the same time, a large image of the holy martyr Tatiana was placed on the facade of the temple. After the revolution, by decree of the People's Commissariat of Education in 1919, the temple was closed like many other university house churches. The temple was destroyed, the interiors were destroyed, and the premises were turned into a club, and later into a theater. In January 1995, the temple was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church.
Church of the Great Martyr Tatiana, 2016. Photo by Yulia Makoveychuk
Today, the home church of the Holy Martyr Tatiana is one of the largest Moscow parishes, which conducts active missionary activities and social service. The temple was restored; in 1998, with the blessing of the Patriarch, the iconostasis of the Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov from New York was transferred to the church. Also, one of the most valuable relics of the Tatyana Church is the reliquary with particles of the relics of the holy martyr Tatyana and St. Philaret of Moscow. Two particles of relics from the right hand of the holy martyr Tatiana (kept today in the St. Michael's Cathedral of the Holy Dormition Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery) were transferred to the university church in 1995. One of the particles is placed in the icon, the other in the ark located near one of the choirs.
Tatyana Larina
Illustration by Lydia Timoshenko (1903–1976)
Two events brought great popularity to the name Tatyana in Russia. The first of them, of course, was the novel by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin “Eugene Onegin”, where the girl Tatyana was written as the main character.
...Her sister's name was Tatyana...
For the first time with such a name
Tender pages of the novel
We willfully sanctify.
So what? it is pleasant, sonorous;
But with him, I know, it’s inseparable
Memories of antiquity
Or girlish! We all should
Frankly: there is very little taste
In us and in our names
(We're not talking about poetry);
Enlightenment is not suitable for us,
And we got it from him
Pretense, nothing more.
During Pushkin's time, the name Tatyana was common among the people. By the beginning of the 19th century, it had long ceased to be popular among nobles, and merchants and peasants more often called their children Tatiana. But a century earlier, the name Tatyana was widespread among the nobility, because that was the name of one of the youngest daughters of the first Russian Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov.
Tsarevna Tatyana Mikhailovna enjoyed the respect of her brother Alexei Mikhailovich. At the time of the conflict, she tried to reconcile Princess Sophia and Peter, she was even the godmother of Tsarevich Alexei. But Grand Duchess Tatiana Mikhailovna became even more famous for the fact that in 1691 she donated to the Resurrection New Jerusalem Monastery an ark with relics - the right hand of the martyr Tatiana. Since then, the holy martyr Tatiana began to be considered the patroness of the monastery. It is this antiquity that Pushkin talks about in his novel.
And also about “girlishness”. Probably, the poet means that the name Tatyana should refer the reader to “tatyanka” - a style of women’s dress with a wide, gathered skirt. “Tatyanka” is the simplest style of skirt that prevailed in the Russian national costume. And “Tatyankas”, rethought and improved with additional skirts and frills, shone at the balls of the era of Alexander Sergeevich.
You can continue the discussion and say that in your own words
“enlightenment does not suit us
And we got it from him
Pretense, nothing more..."
the poet is trying to emphasize that the heroes of the novel, Tatyana Larina’s parents, did not call her that because they remembered the patroness of Moscow University, the holy martyr Tatyana. But let’s not fantasize, the fact remains that thanks to the novel “Eugene Onegin,” the name Tatyana soared in the popularity ranking of Russian names to the utmost heights.
Partisan Tanya
According to statistics, the name Tatyana was the first most popular name in the country throughout the 20th century. In the 50-60s, there were an average of seven girls named Tatyana per school class. Every sixth woman in the country was called Tatyana. And the foreigners who visited the country with advice from Tatyana made their heads spin.
It is likely that such popularity of the name was associated not only with the novel in verse, but also with another event - the feat of eighteen-year-old Komsomol member Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya.
In October 1941, tenth-grader Zoya joined the sabotage and reconnaissance group of the Western Front headquarters, which was tasked with “smoking the Germans out” of their warm apartments. The Komsomol members of the group were to burn down ten villages occupied by the Germans. In one of them, in the village of Petrishchevo, Volokalamsk region, Zoya was captured. To her executioners, Zoya, who dreamed of entering a literary institute and probably loved Pushkin, called herself Tanya. Or maybe the priest’s granddaughter simply remembered the life of Saint Tatiana. The girl was brutally tortured, tortured for a long time and hanged naked with a sign on her neck saying “house arsonist.” The image of “Tanya,” who continued to threaten her enemies with vengeance, entered the annals of history thanks to an article by Pyotr Lidov. The note “Tanya” was published on January 27, 1942 in the newspaper “Pravda”, and Zoya (Tanya) herself for many years became a symbol of the heroism shown by man in the Great Patriotic War for many Soviet citizens.
Dozens of works of art, poems, songs, the one-act opera “Tanya”, the ballet “Tatyana”, monuments throughout the country, including the Partizanskaya metro station, and even a poem by the children's poetess Agnia Barto were dedicated to “Partisan Tanya”. It is not surprising that parents named their children after the hero of modern times.
According to statistical tables, until 1993 the name Tatyana did not leave first place in the ranking of the most popular names in the country. But with the collapse of the Soviet empire, its heroes fade into the background. The name Tatyana, while remaining among the top ten popular names in Russia, today occupies only seventh place. Today, many people fortunately associate this name not only with Tatyana Larina or Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, but with a saint whose life amazes with the depth of faith.
Troparion to the Martyr Tatiana
Troparion, tone 4
Thy Lamb, Jesus, Tatiana calls with a great voice: I love Thee, my Bridegroom, and seeking Thee I suffer and am crucified and buried in Thy baptism and suffer for Thy sake, for I reign in Thee and die for Thee, and live with Thee, but as a sacrifice Accept me immaculate, lovingly sacrificed to You: through your prayers, for You are merciful, save our souls.
Kontakion, tone 4
You shone brightly in your suffering, passion-bearer, covered with your blood, and like a red dove you flew to the sky, Tatiano. The same pray ever for those who honor you.
Prayer
Oh, holy martyr Tatiano, bride of Your Sweetest Bridegroom Christ! To the Lamb of the Divine Lamb! The dove of chastity, the fragrant body of suffering, like a royal garment, covered with the face of heaven, now rejoicing in eternal glory, from the days of her youth a servant of the Church of God, observing chastity and loving the Lord above all the blessings! We pray to you and we ask you: heed the petitions of our hearts and do not reject our prayers, grant purity of body and soul, inhale love for Divine truths, lead us onto a virtuous path, ask God for angelic protection for us, heal our wounds and ulcers, youth protect us, grant us a painless and comfortable old age, help us in the hour of death, remember our sorrows and grant us joy, visit us who are in the prison of sin, instruct us in repentance quickly, kindle the flame of prayer, do not leave us orphans, let your suffering be glorifying, we send praise to the Lord, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
(January 12, Art. Art.) The Orthodox Church honors the memory of the holy martyr Tatiana of Rome (Latin Tatiana, Greek Τατιανὴ; in modern Russian - Tatiana). Tatiana is a name of Roman origin, translated as “organizer”, “mistress”.
At the end of the 2nd century, Rome became famous as a very rich and beautiful city. Almost all Romans were pagans. There were also Christians in the city, but there were few of them and almost all of them were in hiding, fearing reprisals from the authorities. It was very difficult to be a Christian then, for Rome was full of pagan temples, and public life was closely intertwined with religion. Whether the Roman legions returned after defeating their enemies, everyone had to make sacrifices to the gods. When a new emperor ascended the throne, everyone went to the temples and burned incense before the “genius of the emperor.” When the new year began, everyone had to appease the gods with sacrifices. Whether the harvest was harvested, everyone had to thank the gods. There were many other cases in life when you had to show in front of everyone that you honor the gods and perform all the rituals, that you are not an atheist! Almost in the very center was the famous Colosseum, where all the holidays were held.
Around the year 200 A.D., one of the representatives of the government was a consul who believed in one God. This consul gave birth to a wonderful girl, whom he taught from childhood to serve the Lord. She was named Tatiana, which means “organizer.” This name was given to her by her father in the hope that she would arrange her life in a new way, with Christ.
Parents attached special importance to raising their daughter. From childhood, the future martyr well mastered the ideals of Christian piety. Being faithful to Christ was a difficult and dangerous task that required heroism. Her parents took her with them to secret services held at night in the catacombs. Making her way through the narrow corridors, barely illuminated by the oil lamps of the catacombs, she saw in the walls of the corridors the relics of martyrs, the bodies of those who had died in faith and devotion to Christ. In the days of their memory, she heard hymns glorifying their exploits, and with a trembling heart listened to the stories about their holy life and suffering. Thus, observing the life of Christian believers, Tatiana, as a child, absorbed the idea of persistent faith and asked God in her childhood prayers to give her the strength not to stray from her chosen path; she herself wanted to love Christ as much as these holy martyrs. The Lord fulfilled her requests.
When Tatiana reached adulthood, she decided not to get married and to be the bride of Christ. Tatiana’s piety became known in Christian circles and she was chosen as a deaconess (the duties of the deaconess included teaching the faith to catechumens and girls, preparing women for baptism, “serving the elders during the baptism of women for the sake of decency,” visiting sick women and caring for them, etc. .). In 222 AD, Alexander Severus became emperor. He was the son of a Christian woman and did not persecute Christians. However, the emperor was only 16 years old and all power was concentrated in the hands of Ulpian, who fiercely hated Christians. Persecution of Christians began. He persecuted believers and committed the most cruel reprisals against them. Tatiana's ardent faith and gracious service were noticed and she was captured.
The holy martyr Tatiana was taken to the place of sacrifice to the pagan idol Apollo; she was demanded to recognize him as a god and make a sacrifice. It would seem like throwing a pinch of incense on the altar, but Christians also considered this a betrayal of Christ, an act of renunciation of Him. Tatiana began to pray, then tremors occurred, as if from an earthquake, the statue of the idol scattered, many servants died under the collapsed ceiling of the building. The life of Tatiana tells about this: “ The devil, who lived in the idol, fled from that place with a loud cry and sobbing, and everyone heard his cry and saw a shadow sweeping through the air».
Meanwhile, St. Tatiana was dragged to the place of torture. There they began to beat her in the face and torment her with iron hooks. Courageously enduring suffering, the holy virgin prayed for her tormentors and asked the Lord to open the eyes of their souls and teach them the truth. Her prayer was heard: heavenly light illuminated them, and they saw four angels surrounding the saint. Then they fell at the feet of Saint Tatiana and began to pray to her:
- Forgive us, servant of the true God! Forgive us, for it was not our will that we tormented you.
The angry judges ordered to immediately seize these repentant soldiers and put them to death. The newly converted martyrs loudly praised Christ and after a short but cruel torment, all of them, eight in number, were beheaded with a sword and went to the Lord, having been baptized in their own blood.
The next day, the ruler of Rome, Ulpian himself, undertook to judge St. Tatiana. When she was brought out of prison, everyone was amazed that not even a trace of yesterday’s torment was visible on her. Her face was calm and joyful. Ulpian began to convince St. The maiden was offered a sacrifice to the gods, but she refused. Then he ordered to strip her naked and cut her body with sharp razors. As a sign of her purity, milk flowed from the wounds along with the blood, and the air was filled with a fragrance similar to the fragrance of St. peace, for Tatiana, like St. the world was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Then they stretched her out on the ground and beat her with rods for a long time, so that the torturers themselves quickly lost strength and were often replaced. She remained unshakable, since the angels of God, as before, stood invisibly near her, encouraged her and diverted blows from her to those who tried to cause her suffering. Finally, nine of the executioners fell dead, and the rest, barely alive, remained motionless on the ground.
The saint, standing up, exposed the judge and his servants in lies, saying that their gods are soulless idols, but she serves the one true God, who works miracles.
Since evening was already approaching, the Saint was sent back to prison. There she spent the night praying to the Lord and singing His praises. Heavenly light illuminated her, and the angels of God glorified the Lord with her. In the morning she was brought to court again and again everyone was amazed by her beautiful appearance. On this day, the saint destroyed the temple of the goddess Diana with her prayer and again suffered terrible torment for this. The next morning St. Tatiana was brought to the Colosseum and the Atlas lion was released on her. The arena of the Colosseum, like the arenas of many other Roman circuses, was already abundantly filled with martyr's blood. Bloody spectacles were constantly performed there: fearless Christian martyrs were given over to be torn to pieces by wild beasts. But now the daughter of one of the most noble and respected Romans was thrown into the same arena. This aroused everyone's curiosity more than usual. However, to the surprise of everyone, the lion released from the cage did not tear the Saint to pieces. Instead, he caressed her and submissively licked her feet. When one of the guards, suspecting that it was a tame animal, wanted to remove it from the arena, he tore it apart.
After this, Saint Tatiana was taken from the arena and again subjected to torture; Finally, she was thrown into the fire. But the fire did not touch not only her holy body, but even her luxurious hair, with which, like a cloak, the holy martyr covered her nakedness during her torment. The pagans explained Tatiana's miracles by the fact that she was engaged in divination. They decided that Tatiana's strength lay in her hair and cut her hair. After this, thinking that Tatiana had lost her strength, she was imprisoned in the temple of Jupiter.
When the priests came to the temple on the third day, they saw that the idol of Jupiter lay broken into small pieces, and the saint was in joy, praying to God. The torturers did not know what other torture to subject Tatiana to. Then Ulpian pronounced the death sentence; Saint Tatiana was sentenced to death by beheading. Her father, who declared himself a Christian, was executed along with her. Seeing his daughter’s suffering, he did not want to remain a secret Christian and decided to suffer with her. All this happened in 225 AD. The Holy Martyr Tatiana is revered by the Orthodox and Catholic churches.
The Holy Martyr Tatiana was born into a noble Roman family - her father was elected consul three times. He was a secret Christian and raised his daughter devoted to God and the Church. Having reached adulthood, Tatiana did not marry and gave all her strength to the Church. She was installed as a deaconess in one of the Roman churches and served God, caring for the sick and helping those in need through fasting and prayer. Tatiana was to crown her righteousness with the crown of martyrdom.
When sixteen-year-old Alexander Severus (222 - 235) began to rule Rome, all power was concentrated in the hands of the worst enemy and persecutor of Christians, Ulpian. Christian blood flowed like a river. Deaconess Tatiana was also captured. When she was brought to the temple of Apollo to force her to make a sacrifice to the idol, the saint prayed - and suddenly an earthquake occurred, the idol was blown to pieces, and part of the temple collapsed and crushed the priests and many pagans. The demon that lived in the idol fled screaming from that place, while everyone saw a shadow flying through the air. Then they began to beat the holy virgin and gouged out her eyes, but she endured everything courageously, praying for her tormentors, so that the Lord would open their spiritual eyes. And the Lord heeded the prayer of His servant. It was revealed to the executioners that four Angels surrounded the saint and deflected the blows from her, and they heard a Voice from heaven addressed to the holy martyr. All of them, eight people, believed in Christ and fell at the feet of Saint Tatiana, asking them to forgive them their sin against her. For professing themselves to be Christians, they were tortured and executed, having received baptism in blood. The next day, Saint Tatiana was again given over to torture: they stripped her naked, beat her, began to cut her body with razors, and then instead of blood, milk flowed from the wounds and a fragrance filled the air. The torturers were exhausted and declared that someone invisible was beating them with iron sticks, nine of them died immediately. The saint was thrown into prison, where she prayed all night and sang praises to the Lord with the Angels. A new morning came, and Saint Tatiana was again brought to trial. The amazed tormentors saw that after so much terrible torment she appeared completely healthy and even more radiant and beautiful than before. They began to persuade her to make a sacrifice to the goddess Diana. The saint pretended to agree, and she was led to the temple. Saint Tatiana crossed herself and began to pray. - and suddenly there was a deafening clap of thunder, and lightning incinerated the idol, the sacrifice and the priests. The martyr was again cruelly tortured, and at night she was again thrown into prison, and again the Angels of God appeared to her and healed her wounds. The next day, Saint Tatiana was brought to the circus and a hungry lion was released on her; the beast did not touch the saint and began to meekly lick her feet. They wanted to drive the lion back into the cage, and then he tore to pieces one of the tormentors. Tatiana was thrown into the fire, but the fire did not harm the martyr. The pagans, thinking that she was a sorceress, cut her hair to deprive her of magical powers and locked her in the temple of Zeus. But the power of God cannot be taken away. On the third day, the priests came, surrounded by a crowd, preparing to make sacrifices. Having opened the temple, they saw the idol cast into dust and the holy martyr Tatiana, joyfully calling on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. All torture was exhausted, she was sentenced to death, and the courageous sufferer was beheaded with a sword. Together with her, as a Christian, the father of Saint Tatiana, who revealed to her the truths of the faith of Christ, was executed.
Holy Martyr Tatiana
At the end of the 2nd - beginning of the 3rd century, Rome was full of majestic temples where pagan gods were worshiped. The inhabitants of Rome believed that fate and prosperity, health and a rich harvest depended on them. Therefore, they prayed to Jupiter, Apollo, Hercules, Mars, Orpheus, the huntress Diana and others and made sacrifices to them. The Christians who appeared in Rome at this time gathered secretly because they were persecuted. The future holy martyr Tatiana was born into a noble family of a Roman consul who professed Christianity. When his daughter was born, he decided to name her Tatiana - “organizer.” “Let him arrange his life in a new way, with Christ,” he thought and raised his daughter in Christian traditions.
Often, while still a little girl, St. Tatyana, waking up in the middle of the night, raised her hands and brought her childhood prayers to God:
“I want to be a saint,” she whispered. – Teach me, Lord, not to love anything or anyone as deeply as You! Teach me, Lord, to do only what You please; make me Your servant!
Tatiana was very pretty. She had a tender white face, framed by thick brown hair, a slender figure, a kind disposition and a level of prudence that was rare for her age. She was not at all like the spoiled Roman women of her circle. On the contrary, she was an undemanding and very obedient girl who respected her elders.
Many young people from noble and wealthy families wooed Tatiana. And despite the fact that even her father tried to persuade her to get married, she answered him: “Father, my heart has long been given to the Lord, and no force will force me to renounce this love!” After which the father resolutely refused all the suitors and left the girl alone. Tatiana led a secluded and quiet lifestyle. She was not interested in the bohemian worldly vanity and intrigue. She preferred prayer to all this.
At this time, Rome was ruled by Emperor Heliogabalus, who worshiped the sun god Emez. The cult of Emez, whose symbol - a black aerolite stone brought from Syria - was displayed in the middle of the palace, turned into drunken orgies organized by the emperor, which caused discontent among the people and especially the soldiers. And when the emperor, who was already considered a bloody tyrant, decided to take the life of his cousin Alexander Severus, this overflowed the cup of people's patience.
The wicked king Antoninus Heliogabalus was killed by his own subjects, and his body, dragged through the city with desecration, was thrown into the Tiber River. Alexander, a sixteen-year-old boy, was elevated to the royal throne. His mother was a Christian woman named Mammea. From her he learned to honor Christ, but at the same time he continued to serve idols and worship them as ancient Roman gods. In his palace there were images of Christ and Apollo, revered by the pagans, the Old Testament Abraham and the pagan Orpheus... After Alexander Severus came to power, life in the city changed greatly. Christians were now allowed to own real estate and freely elect their bishops.
The new emperor was thinking about building a temple to Christ. But he himself was not a Christian, but continued to believe in many gods. Jesus Christ was one of them for him. However, now Christians have come out of hiding, and many have joined the Christian community of Rome, including Tatiana.
She was distinguished by great zeal, hard work, kindness and patience. And soon the bishop appointed her a deaconess. Now she was almost never at home - all day long she cared for the sick and poor, prepared believers for the rite of baptism and performed other duties. Sometimes, in her worries, the girl was forced to go without sleep or eat for days. People in need of help came to her from all over the city in droves.
Word of her kindness quickly spread throughout Rome. It’s not for nothing that her father called her Tatiana – “the organizer.” Next to her, everything really magically worked out. There were the necessary medicines and doctors for the sick, housing for the poor, clothing and food for the poor and orphans. It was as if someone invisible from above was passing on his heavenly gifts to people through her. Tatyana said so when they tried to thank her: “Don’t thank me - the Lord! So great is His mercy that He will not leave the smallest request, the most modest need unanswered!” Tatiana rarely saw her father now, but she was truly happy, because by helping those in need, she served the Lord!
Alexander himself did not persecute Christians, but his governors, regional governors and consuls, greatly oppressed them. Due to Alexander's youth, the administration of the state was entrusted to some of the members of the state council. Many of the emperor's associates actually ruled the state and promoted the decisions and laws they desired. Some did not approve of the freedom given to Christians. Chief among them was the city eparch Ulpian, cruel in temper and a great enemy of Christians. He compiled a collection of laws persecuting the followers of Christ. The advisors sent orders everywhere that the Galileans (as they called Christians) were forced everywhere to worship the Roman gods, threatening them with severe torture and even death if they disobeyed. The following fierce enemies of Christians and faithful servants of the devil were chosen to monitor whether this command was being fulfilled: Vitaly, kuvicularius (royal bed-guard), Vasya, domestic (guard) Kai. Then in Rome and in all areas of the Roman state the blood of Christians flowed like water. They were not spared, subjected to torture and death.
And again the blood of Christian martyrs flowed, who did not want to worship the Roman gods. It was difficult to be a Christian then. Rome was full of pagan temples, and public life was closely connected with religion. The Roman legions returning after another victory had to make sacrifices to the gods, and all residents of Rome had to participate in the ceremony. During the accession of a new ruler to the throne, everyone went to temples and burned incense before the “genius of the emperor.” When the new year began, everyone had to appease the gods with sacrifices. And how many other cases have there been in life when you had to show in front of everyone that you are not an atheist, that you honor the gods and perform all the rituals of the folk religion!
It would seem that it was of great importance to throw a pinch of incense on the altar or swear by the genius of the emperor, but Christians also considered this a betrayal of Christ, an act of renunciation of Him, and therefore, under various pretexts, they tried to avoid participating in national holidays, they had to hide and hide their faith in true God. When the next persecution of Christians broke out, when they were forced to blaspheme Christ in front of everyone and make sacrifices to idols, then even secret Christians declared their faith, suffered suffering and lost their lives. A few months after the new persecution began, Tatiana was captured. She was required to bow to the god Apollo. To which Tatiana replied that for her there is only one God - Jesus Christ, and refused. Then Ulpian ordered her to be brought by force to the temple of Apollo and bowed before the idol. Tatiana prayed to the Lord not to leave her in this difficult hour and to give her strength to survive. She also asked the Lord to forgive her tormentors, for they do not know what they are doing. At the time when Tatiana was brought to the pagan temple, the earth shook. The idol of Apollo fell and broke into pieces, part of the temple also collapsed and crushed many pagans and priests, the devil who lived in the statue fled from that place with a loud cry and sobbing, and everyone heard his screams and saw a shadow sweeping through the air.
Then the wicked dragged the holy virgin to trial and torment. First they began to hit her in the face and torment her with iron hooks. As a result of the long torture, the tormentors themselves became exhausted, for the body of the sufferer of Christ was as hard as an anvil for those who inflicted the wounds, and the tormentors themselves suffered more torment than the holy martyr. And the Angels stood invisibly near the saint and struck those who tormented Saint Tatiana. The torturers appealed to the lawless judge and asked him to order an end to the torture. They said that they themselves suffered more than the holy innocent virgin. Tatiana, courageously enduring suffering, prayed for the tormentors and asked the Lord to reveal to them the light of truth. And her prayer was heard. Heavenly light illuminated the tormentors, and their spiritual eyes were opened. They saw four Angels surrounding the saint, heard a voice from Heaven addressed to the holy virgin, fell on their knees before her and began to pray: “Forgive us, servant of the True God, forgive us! For it was not our will that we caused you torment.”
All of them, and there were eight of them, believed in Christ and were baptized in their own blood, for they were cruelly tortured for confessing Christ and were eventually beheaded.
The next day, the unrighteous judge again ordered Saint Tatiana to be brought to torture. She appeared before her tormentor completely healthy. Her face was calm and joyful. The judge began to convince the holy virgin to make a sacrifice to idols, but his efforts remained in vain. Then he ordered the saint to be naked and cut with razors. Her virgin body was white as snow, and when they began to cut it, instead of blood, milk flowed from the wounds, and a great fragrance spread, as if from a vessel with aromas. The saint, looking up to heaven, prayed amidst this torment. Then she was spread out crosswise on the ground and beaten with rods for a long time, so that the torturers were exhausted and often changed. For, as before, the Angels of God stood invisibly near the saint and inflicted wounds on those who struck the holy martyr. The torturer's servants were exhausted, declaring that someone was striking them with iron sticks. Finally, nine of them died, struck by the right hand of the angel, and the rest fell to the ground barely alive. The saint denounced the judge and his servants and said that their gods were soulless idols.
Since evening was already approaching, the saint was taken to prison. Here she spent the whole night, praying to the Lord and singing His praises. Heavenly light illuminated her, and the Angels of God glorified with her. In the morning she was brought to trial again. Seeing the holy martyr completely healthy, with a face even more beautiful than before, everyone was amazed. At first they began to gently and flatteringly persuade her to make a sacrifice to their great goddess Diana. The holy virgin pretended that she agreed to follow their advice. She was taken to the Temple of Diana. The demon that lived in the idol of Diana sensed the approach of the holy virgin and began to loudly cry out: “Woe is me, woe is me! Where can I run from Your Spirit, O Heavenly God, for the fire that flares up from all corners of this temple drives me away?”
The saint, approaching the temple, marked herself with the sign of the cross and, raising her eyes to heaven, began to pray. Suddenly there was a terrible thunderclap and lightning flashed: fire that fell from the sky burned the temple with the idol, the victims, the priests; Many of the unbelievers, scorched by lightning, fell to the ground dead. Then they took Saint Tatiana to the praetor, hung her there and tormented her with iron hooks and even tore out her nipples. After this, the saint was imprisoned, and again the radiant angels of heaven appeared to the holy passion-bearer, completely healed her of her wounds and praised her courageous suffering. In the morning, Saint Tatiana was brought to the circus and a terrible lion was released on her so that he would tear her to pieces. But the fierce animal did not touch the saint. The lion caressed her and obediently licked her feet. When they wanted to take the lion back into the cage, he suddenly rushed at a noble dignitary named Eumenius and tore him to pieces.
They hanged Saint Tatiana again and again began to plan her body, but again the Angels invisibly struck her tormentors and they fell dead. Then they threw the saint into the fire, but the fire did not harm her: the power of the fiery flame subsided, as if honoring the servant of Christ. The wicked attributed all these wondrous signs not to the power of Christ, but to sorcery. They cut off the saint's hair, hoping that her spell would now be invalid. They thought that the saint’s hair had some magical power, so nothing could harm her. So they cut her hair and imprisoned her in the temple of Zeus. The godless thought that the saint could no longer harm their deity, because with the loss of her hair she also lost the power of sorcery. The saint spent two days imprisoned in that temple. The heavenly light, which always shone upon her, spilled into the temple, and the Angels encouraged and consoled her. On the third day, the priests and the people came to sacrifice to Zeus. Having opened the temple, they saw that their idol had fallen and broken, and Saint Tatiana remained in joy in the name of the Lord God.
Then she was brought to the court. The judge, not knowing what else to do with her, pronounced a death sentence on her, and Saint Tatiana was beheaded with a sword. Her father was executed along with her, because they found out that he was also a Christian. First, the torturers deprived him of his honorary title and took away all his property. Condemned to death, he died by the sword along with his daughter for the name of Christ. Both of them were honored to receive crowns of martyrdom from Christ God, to Him be glory forever. Amen. All this happened in 225.
Prayer to St. Martyr Tatiana
Oh, holy martyr Tatiano, bride of Your Sweetest Bridegroom Christ! To the Lamb of the Divine Lamb! The dove of chastity, the fragrant body of suffering, like a royal garment, covered with the face of heaven, now rejoicing in eternal glory, from the days of her youth a servant of the Church of God, observing chastity and loving the Lord above all the blessings! We pray to you and we ask you: heed the petitions of our hearts and do not reject our prayers, grant purity of body and soul, inhale love for Divine truths, lead us onto a virtuous path, ask God for angelic protection for us, heal our wounds and ulcers, youth protect us, grant us a painless and comfortable old age, help us in the hour of death, remember our sorrows and grant us joy, visit us who are in the prison of sin, instruct us in repentance quickly, kindle the flame of prayer, do not leave us orphans, let your suffering be glorifying, we send praise to the Lord, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Troparion, tone 8 (transfer of relics):
The all-honorable founder of piety, the most praised and all-blessed martyr Tatiano, who appeared as a vessel of virginity and purity and was called the bride of Christ, adorned with the blood of suffering, you flew in the sky to the heavenly palace. Also remember those who honor you.
Kontakion, tone 4:
You shone brightly in your suffering, passion-bearer, covered with your blood, and like a red dove you flew to the sky, Tatiano: pray in the same way for those who honor you.
On January 12 (January 25, new style), 1724, Peter the Great founded the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg. A year later, the St. Petersburg Academic University was opened at the Academy. The activities of these first Russian "forges" of scientific personnel proceeded with the active participation of L.V. Lomonosov and Count I.I. Shuvalov, a famous philanthropist, patron of the sciences and arts. The relationship between these two different people knew different periods, but the great scientist and the skilled courtier were united in one thing: both considered it necessary to open a second University in Russia - Moscow.
January 12 (25 new style) 1755 Count I.I. Shuvalov submitted a petition to establish a new educational institution in Moscow. Ivan Ivanovich remembered both what was accomplished by Peter the Great on that day (and Empress Elizaveta Petrovna in every possible way emphasized her desire to follow the path of her father), and that this day was the name day of his mother, Tatiana Shuvalova.
Empress Elizaveta Petrovna signed a Decree on the founding of Moscow University “for the common glory of the Fatherland,” so that “all useful knowledge would grow in our vast Empire.” Thus, twice in Russian history the connection of our national science with the day of remembrance of the holy martyr Tatiana was established. And it is not surprising that when the question arose about establishing a house church at Moscow University, this temple was consecrated in the name of this holy martyr.
A separate building of the temple in the name of the holy martyr Tatiana at Moscow University was built by the famous architect Matvey Kazakov and was part of the general complex of buildings of the main university building on Makhovaya Street, which runs from Tverskaya past Manezhnaya Square. On April 5, 1791, Metropolitan Platon (Levshin) consecrated the church. In his sermon on this significant event, the saint said words that perfectly express the true relationship between Holy Orthodoxy and secular science: “The School of Sciences and the School of Christ began to be united: worldly wisdom, brought into the sanctuary of the Lord, becomes sanctified: one helps the other, but with one thing is confirmed to the other.”
Only a tragic ignorance of our own history has led many of us to believe that science is opposed to Faith. Our most educated ancestors perfectly combined one and the other, and in prayer, in Faith, in the Sacraments they drew strength for their scientific daring. Not a single university celebration or event in university life was complete without a house church, be it the opening of a laboratory or a new classroom, scientific readings or visits of honored guests.
Here, with the permission of the university authorities, students were married and, at the request of the teachers and ministers of the University, their children were baptized. In particular, the eldest daughter of Moscow University professor I.V. was baptized here. Tsvetaeva, founder of the Museum of Fine Arts, - Marina Tsvetaeva, the future famous poetess.
Quite often, it was the university church in the name of the holy martyr Tatiana that was the place of farewell to outstanding figures of Russian culture. It was here that the funeral service for Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol was held. The coffin with the body of the great writer was carried in the arms of his friends and university professors. The most famous historians T.N. were buried from here. Granovsky, S.M. Solovyova, O.V. Klyuchevsky. A.A.’s funeral service took place here. Feta.
But the day of the patronal feast of the university church was especially solemn. Every year on January 12 (25), a prayer service with an akathist to the holy martyr Tatiana, the heavenly patroness of Moscow University, was solemnly served in the church. After mass, everyone went to the assembly hall, where the official ceremony took place. Only then did the student freewheeling, jokes, banquets and everything else begin, which the media now talk about in such detail on the eve of Tatyana’s Day. But about the spiritual side of the holiday - also, by the way, traditions of more than one century! - for some reason they forget.
Already in 1918, the university church was closed, and in the fall of 1919 it was practically looted. Tatiana's Day was celebrated secretly in the nearby St. George's Church in 1920, during the 165th anniversary of Moscow University.
Only at the end of 1993 the house church of Moscow University was restored. However, Divine services were only able to begin on January 22, 1995. Now University students and guests of Moscow can visit this temple on Manezhnaya Square, in the very center of the capital.
Relics of the Martyr Tatiana
At the right and left choirs of the university house church there are beautifully decorated reliquaries with particles of the relics of the holy martyr Tatiana and St. Philaret of Moscow, which were transferred to the temple at different times.
Particles of the relics of St. mts. Tatiana
On December 29, 1995, two particles of relics from the right hand of St. Tatiana, resting in the St. Michael's Cathedral of the Holy Dormition Pskov-Pechersky Monastery, was brought to the University House Church: one particle was inserted into the icon of the holy martyr, and the other was placed in the reliquary.
In the reliquary itself, according to what was said above, the holy relics of the martyr Tatiana are kept, the right side of the hand without the index finger, while in the palm of the holy relics there are quite a few taken away. These relics are decorated on top of the hand and between the fingers with various pearls, two emeralds and two laliques. Near the shrine, the stamps depict in painting the suffering of the martyr Tatiana from King Tertullian.
According to the testimony of Archimandrite Tikhon, abbot of the Pskov-Pechersk Monastery, before the revolution, the right hand of St. mts. Tatiana stayed in the house church of the Winter Palace. Then it was transported to Crimea and preserved by nuns. On January 30, 1977, the imperishable right hand of St. mts. Tatiana arrived at the Holy Dormition Pskov-Pechersky Monastery, where she remains to this day in St. Michael’s Cathedral.
The holy martyr protects our right faith with her right hand. Establishes Orthodoxy and protects us from heresies and schisms, asking us from the Righteous Judge for firm standing in the truth of God and strength to confess Christ. 
-), deaconess, martyr
The next day, the saint was again given over to torture: they stripped her naked, beat her, and began to cut her body with razors, and then instead of blood, milk flowed from the wounds and a fragrance filled the air. At the same time, the tormentors became exhausted and declared that someone invisible was beating them with iron sticks, and nine of them died immediately. The saint was thrown into prison, where she prayed all night and sang praises to the Lord with the angels.
When the saint was again brought to trial, the amazed tormentors saw that after so much terrible torment she appeared completely healthy and even more radiant and beautiful than before. They began to persuade her to make a sacrifice to the goddess Diana. The saint pretended to agree, and she was led to the temple. Then Tatiana crossed herself and began to pray - and suddenly there was a deafening thunderclap, and lightning incinerated the idol, the victim and the priests.
The martyr was again cruelly tortured, and at night she was again thrown into prison, and again the angels of God appeared to her and healed her wounds. The next day, Saint Tatiana was brought to the circus - the Colosseum - and a hungry lion was released on her; the beast did not touch the saint and began to meekly lick her feet. They wanted to drive the lion back into the cage, and then he tore to pieces one of the tormentors.
Then Tatiana was thrown into the fire, but the fire did not harm the martyr. The pagans, thinking that she was a sorceress, cut her hair to deprive her of magical powers and locked her in the temple of Zeus. On the third day, the priests came, surrounded by a crowd, preparing to make sacrifices. Having opened the temple, they saw the idol cast into dust and the holy martyr Tatiana, joyfully calling on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. All torture was exhausted, she was sentenced to death, and the courageous sufferer was beheaded with a sword. Together with her, as a Christian, the father of Saint Tatiana, who revealed to her the truths of the faith of Christ, was executed. Saint Tatiana and the others who suffered with her in Rome were martyred about a year or a little later, in the period from 1 to 2 years.
Reverence
Prayers
Troparion, tone 4
All-honorable founder of piety,/ highly praised and all-blessed martyr Tatiano,/ who appeared as a vessel of virginity and purity/ and was called the bride of Christ,/ adorned with the blood of suffering,/ flew to demonic palace. // Also remember those who honor you.
Kontakion, tone 4
You shone brightly in your suffering, O passion-bearer,/ full of your blood,/ and like a red dove/ you flew to Heaven, Tatiano.// Also pray for those who honor you.
Used materials
- Pages of the official calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church published by the Moscow Patriarchate for 2015:
- http://calendar.rop.ru/svyat1/jan12-tatiana.html - "Holy Martyr Tatiana"
