Holy Virgin Martyr Tatiana of Rome – January 12

Tatiana was а Roman whose parents were of great nobility – she was the daughter of a most distinguished prefect of Rome. She was a Christian and a deaconess. She devoted herself to charity and prayers and affianced to chastity. After the death of Emperor Heliogabalus, Emperor Alexander Severus (111-135 A.D.) reigned in Rome. The emperor himself was wavering and indecisive in the Faith for he kept statues of Christ, Apollo, Abraham and Orpheus in his palace. Disregarding Tatiana’s noble origin and impeccable way of life, Alexander ordered the girl to be taken to the Apollo temple to sacrifice. Not only she refused to do that but also by her prayer the idol’s statue crashed into pieces. When they put the virgin Tatiana to torture, she prayed to God for her torturers. God sent His angels to the dungeon to encourage her and to heal her wounds so that each morning Tatiana appeared before the torturers completely healed. That confused her tormentors a lot, so they threw her before a lion, but the lion endeared himself to her and did her no harm. They cut off her hair, thinking, according to their pagan reasoning, that some sorcery or some magical power was concealed in her hair. Finally, Tatiana and her father were both beheaded. Thus, Tatiana ended her earthly life about the year 225 A.D. On January 12 the Church remembers St. Martyr Tatiana and the Bulgarian women named Tanya and Tatiana celebrate their name day.