Saint Tatiana January 25

According to legend, she was the daughter of a Roman official who was secretly Christian, and raised her daughter in the faith. It was dangerous, and one day the jurist Ulpian captured Tatiana and tried to force her to make a sacrifice to Apollo. She prayed and miraculously, an earthquake destroyed the statue of Apollo and part of the temple.

Tatiana was then blinded and beaten for two days, before being taken to a circus and thrown into the pit with a hungry lion. But the lion would not touch her and lay down at her feet. This resulted in a death sentence, and after being tortured, Tatiana was beheaded with a sword on January 12, around 225 or 230 AD.

On January 12, 1755 Julian (January 23, 1755 Gregorian), Empress Elizabeth of Russia signed a decree for the establishment of the first Russian university, which was built in Moscow and placed under the tutelage of the first Russian Minister of Education Ivan Shuvalov. In 1791, the Church of St. Tatiana was built on the university campus, and the Russian Orthodox Church declared St. Tatiana the patron saint of students.

Tatiana Day is now celebrated as Student's Day in the countries of the former Russian Empire. The day begins with a traditional service held at the University Church followed by speeches and award presentations. Later in the day, many students organize or attend parties and public events.

Tatiana's Day also coincides with the end of the first quarter of the traditional academic year for Russian and Ukrainian students, so the holiday also functions as a day of celebration for the completion of final exams.