Saint of the Day – 19 July – Saint Romain of Ryazan

Saint Romain of Ryazan, also known as Romanus or Roman. Son of the Prince of Ryazan, Russia, Roman was from a family who, during the Tatar yoke, became famous as defenders of Christianity. Both of his grandfathers died for their country in battle with Batu Khan, the founder of the Golden Horde. Raised to have a great love for the Catholic faith, the prince took care of impoverished and oppressed subjects, and protected them from the violence and robbery of the Khan’s tax collectors. As a consequence, these people denounced him before the Tatar Khan Mengu-Timur.

In 1270, Roman was summoned to the Horde, where the Khan declared that he would have to choose: either martyrdom or the Tatar (Islamic) faith. The prince answered that a Christian cannot change a true faith to a false one. For his firmness in the confession of faith, he was subjected to cruel tortures: they cut off his tongue, gouged out his eyes, cut off his ears and lips, cut off his arms and legs, flayed the skin from his head and, having chopped it off, put it onto a spear. Veneration for him began immediately. His relics were secretly returned to Ryazan and buried. Their place of burial remains unknown.

The first defeat of Napoleon by the Russians when he invaded in 1812, occured on St Roman’s feast day.