Why is the official "Day of Russian Students" often referred to as "Tatiana's Day"? How did this name appear and what is the connection between the students and Tatiana?
To find out it is necessary to move from the time of today to the end of the II century AD. What was so special going on there?
Holy Roman Martyr Tatiana
At the time when Christianity was a newly emerging young religion, there was a girl in Rome. Her name was Tatiana. She was the daughter of a wealthy and noble man who secretly professed Christianity. The young virgin also believed in Christ, and so deeply that when she was seized and forced to worship Apollo and other pagan gods, she resolutely refused. Then she was subjected to inhuman torture.
However, she remained faithful to Christ and prayed only to him. The power of her prayer and God's help was such that Tatiana, after terrible tortures, remained unharmed, and the statues of pagan idols collapsed. Even the hungry lion did not dare to attack her. The girl even prayed for her tormentors. And they suddenly heard the voices of angels and believed in Christ.
The executioners decided to finally deal with the staunch maiden. She, as well as her father, had their heads cut off. This atrocity was committed on January 12, 226 (old style).
But the memory of Tatian did not die. She began to be revered as a holy martyr of the first centuries of Christianity. She enjoys particular respect in Russia. The day of her memory for the Orthodox is January 25 in the new style.
How the Holy Martyr Tatiana found herself connected with Moscow University
In early Christian times, a tradition arose to give names to newborns by the names of the saints. Books appeared with a list of days of commemoration of the revered righteous by months - month words or church calendars. The baby was named after the saint, whose memorial day was celebrated on the date close after the birth of the child. This saint became his patron and intercessor. The day of remembrance of the saint of the same name turned into a person's name day, i.e. on the day of his name, a personal holiday. And it is customary to celebrate holidays and give gifts.
On January 25, 1755, on the feast day of the holy Roman martyr Tatiana, the daughter of Peter the Great, Elizabeth, signed a decree establishing Moscow University. Kamer-junker Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov was one of the initiators, creators and its first curator, and at the same time the favorite of the empress. Therefore, Elizaveta Petrovna responded to the request of an influential courtier and loving son, who wanted to celebrate the birthday of his mother Tatyana Rodionovna with a significant event.
Thus, the "newborn" educational institution was forever associated with the name of St. Tatiana, on the day of whose memory it was born. The Roman saint became the patroness of Moscow University and its students. The Day of Remembrance of the Holy Martyr was popularly called "Tatiana's Day" and became not only the name day of women named Tatiana, but also a holiday for all students.
In 1791, a church named after the patron saint was built at the university. It burned down during the Napoleonic invasion. But by 1837 the new church was consecrated by the Metropolitan of Moscow Filaret (Drozdov). The temple still stands at the beginning of Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street.
Several ancient icons of St. Tatiana are kept in the church. In 2014, a modern one appeared here, on which the image of the saint was painted against the background of the Moscow State University building on Sparrow Hills, the Kremlin and the church named after her.
