Holy Martyr Tatiana and Those Martyred with Her in Rome (+226–235)

The holy Martyr Tatiana was born into a noble Roman family. Her father was a secret Christian and brought up his daughter too in faithfulness to God and the Church. When she came of age, Tatiana decided to preserve her virginity and to live for the glory of the Lord. She began to serve as a deaconess in one of the churches, trained her soul by prayer and fasting, cared for the sick and helped those in need.

When the sixteen-year-old Alexander Severus (222–235) became emperor in Rome, the reins of government were seized by the most wicked enemy of the Christians, Ulpian, and a cruel persecution of the Orthodox began. The deaconess Tatiana too was seized, brought to the temple of Apollo, and pressed to offer sacrifice to the idols. The maiden besought the Lord for help with fervent prayer. In answer to her prayer the earth suddenly shook terribly, the idol was shattered, part of the temple collapsed and buried the priests and pagans beneath it; then a terrible wailing was heard, and the evil spirit that had nested in the idol left the place. Everyone clearly saw its dark shadow flash through the air. The enraged lawless ones beat the saint cruelly. They put out her eyes, but she bore the pain patiently and besought the Lord to open the spiritual eyes of her tormentors. The all-good God heard the prayer of His handmaid, and the executioners clearly saw angels surround her as guards, and heard too from heaven the Lord’s words addressed to the martyr. Through the miracle the lawless ones believed in the true God, fell at Tatiana’s feet and asked her forgiveness. All eight former executioners were cruelly tortured and put to death for confessing Christ. The martyrs were baptised in their own blood. The next day the godless continued Saint Tatiana’s torments: they stripped her, beat her cruelly and slashed her body with razors. Then another miracle took place: milk gushed from the wounds of the lamb of Christ, and a fragrance spread all around. The executioners’ strength failed them, and they declared that someone invisible was beating them with an iron rod. Nine of them died on the spot. The holy maiden was thrown into prison, where she stood in prayer all night and glorified the Lord together with angels. In the morning Tatiana was led out to the tribunal again. The tormentors were dumbfounded when they saw that she showed not a trace of torture; on the contrary, she looked still more beautiful and her face shone more than before. The virgin martyr was ordered to offer sacrifice to the idol of Diana. When she was brought into the idol-temple, the saint made the sign of the cross and called on the Lord with hope. Suddenly a thunderclap deafened the place, and heavenly fire burned to cinders the idol, the offerings prepared beforehand, and the priests. Even this miracle did not bring the godless to their senses: they again tortured Tatiana terribly and took her back to her cell, where angels of the Lord again appeared to her and healed her wounds. The next morning the martyr was brought into the circus and a hungry lion was let loose to tear her to pieces, but the beast did her no harm and meekly licked her feet. After this Tatiana was thrown into a fire, and when the flames did not burn her either, the pagans thought they were dealing with a sorceress. To take away the blessed woman’s “magic power”, they cut off her hair and locked her in the temple of Zeus. On the third day the priests, surrounded by a crowd of pagans, came to offer sacrifice and opened the doors, but found the idol shattered. Tatiana, radiant with joy, was glorifying the Lord. No torment could bend the courageous confessor of Christ, and so she was sentenced to death. Together with the holy virgin martyr her pious father was also beheaded.