Saint Tatiana of Rome Medal Necklace – Patron Saint of Students

Saint Tatiana of Rome, Patron Saint of Students

Tatiana was born in Rome in the early third century to a father who kept his Christian faith secret while serving three terms as a Roman consul. She served the Church as a deaconess, caring for the sick and the poor, until she was arrested during a wave of persecution and brought before the jurist Ulpian. Ordered to sacrifice to Apollo, she refused, and an earthquake is said to have struck the temple as she prayed. She was later placed in an arena with a hungry lion, and rather than attack her, the lion lay calmly at her feet, an event that reportedly moved several witnesses to convert. She died a martyr around 225-230 AD. Centuries later, in 1755, Empress Elizabeth of Russia signed the charter founding Moscow State University on January 12, Tatiana's feast day, and the date has been celebrated in Russia and Belarus ever since as an informal students' holiday, Tatiana Day. This medal is worn by men and women alike.

A Gift For...

• College and university students, especially anyone starting a new program or semester
• Students in Russian or Belarusian Orthodox families
• A student walking into something intimidating: an exam, a defense, a first semester away from home
• Deacons and deaconesses
• Anyone who needs a reminder that fear doesn't always win
• A "Tatiana Day" gift for a student named Tatiana, Tanya, or Tania

A Confirmation Gift for Tatiana

Is the confirmand about to start something new, a school, a program, a challenge they're not sure they're ready for? Engrave "Fear not" on the first line and the confirmation date on the second. Tatiana suits someone who needs proof that courage doesn't require the fear to go away first.

The Saint Tatiana Medal

Saint Tatiana of Rome is shown full-length in a flowing robe, holding a cross and a palm branch, with a calm lion resting at her feet, framed by a ring of ornamental scrollwork. The natural gold or silver of the metal forms the illustration itself. Black ink is applied to the pendant surface and the metal shows through as the image. A shatterproof liquid glass coating seals the surface. The result has a depth and precision that printed medals don't achieve.

Personalization and Engraving

The reverse can be engraved in Tangerine cursive, up to 2 lines of 20 characters each. Some ideas:

• "Fear not" / a start date or semester
• "Tatiana Day" / a graduation year
• A university name / a program or major
• "Courage first" / a confirmation or exam date

Saint Tatiana's feast day is January 12. In Russia and Belarus, the date is still celebrated as Tatiana Day, an unofficial students' holiday tracing back to Moscow State University's founding on her feast in 1755.

Related Devotions for Students Facing Something New

• Saint Thomas Aquinas Medal: patron of students in the Western tradition, for a complementary devotion alongside Tatiana's Eastern one.
• Saint Catherine of Alexandria Necklace: another young woman who faced down power rather than recant, and patron of students and scholars in her own right.
• Graduation Gifts for Students & Scholars: browse the full collection, including Tatiana's fellow patrons of students and scholars.