Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
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On January 25, the feast day of the Holy Great Martyr Tatiana—the patron saint of students—the traditional celebration of Russian Student Day took place in the majestic space beneath the vaults of the Resurrection Cathedral of all educational institutions in Smolny Cathedral.
The day began with the Divine Liturgy celebrated by Metropolitan Barsanuphius of St. Petersburg and Ladoga. Representatives of the city administration, clergy, university rectors, faculty, and students, as well as military academy cadets, participated.
The Metropolitan congratulated everyone on the feast day of the Great Martyr Tatiana and Russian Students' Day. Barsanuphius emphasized: "Just as students acquire scientific knowledge in educational institutions, in church a person is introduced to the foundations of spiritual tradition. These foundations provide direction in life and help one move forward. Faith, in this sense, is like a tree's root: the stronger and deeper the root, the more resilient the tree itself and the richer its fruit."
This year's service featured, for the first time, the joint singing of choirs from Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, the A. I. Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, St. Petersburg State University, and the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. The choirs sang under the direction of Smolny Cathedral choirmaster Alexander Popov.
Following the liturgy, a ceremony was held to present the Saint Tatiana Badges of Honor for their contributions to educational and social work among young people. In 2026, 46 people received the award, including students, teachers, university rectors, directors of creative groups, and priests.
Andrey Rudskoy, Rector of the Polytechnic University and Co-Chair of the Inter-University Association for the Promotion of Spiritual and Moral Education "Pokrov," and Vitaly Sergeev, First Vice-Rector of SPbPU, were awarded the "Holy Martyr Tatiana" medal for their dedication to educating young people for the good of the Church and the Fatherland.
Ivan Kolomeytsev, Associate Professor of the Higher School of Social Sciences, was awarded the St. Tatiana Badge of Honor for his significant contribution to the spiritual and moral education of youth and students, earning the "Youth Mentor" title. Anri Oganisyan, Administrator of the Youth Trajectory Center and Commander of the Polytechnic School of Social Sciences, was presented with a Certificate of Honor for his educational and social activities.
The holiday has been celebrated annually on January 25 since 2005, in accordance with a decree of the President of the Russian Federation. Historically, the Day of St. Tatiana, the patron saint of students, began to be celebrated in the 18th century by decree of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. The spiritual center of these celebrations remains the Smolny Cathedral, founded by the Empress—the main church of the deanery of university churches in St. Petersburg.
The Saint Tatiana Badge of Honor was established in St. Petersburg in 1997. It recognizes achievements in educational and social activities among young people. Over the past 29 years, more than 1,500 people have received the award.
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