Who Is Valentine and What Is His Story?

One Saint Valentine was supposedly a Roman priest who performed secret weddings against the wishes of the authorities in the third century. Imprisoned in the home of a noble, he healed his captor’s blind daughter, causing the whole household to convert to Christianity and sealing his fate. Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14.

Saint Valentine

Valentine’s Day is named after Saint Valentine, a Catholic priest who lived in Rome in the 3rd Century. There are many stories about St Valentine and over time these stories grew into the legend we know today.

Valentine was a Roman priest and physician who suffered martyrdom during the persecution of Christians by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus about 270. He was buried on the Via Flaminia, and Pope Julius I reportedly built a basilica over his grave.

As far as anyone can tell, the Saint Valentine of Valentine’s Day was one of two guys preaching the good word in Rome in the third century. One of these two was martyred on February 14th 269, thus giving us the date for his eponymous day.

Legend also has it that while in jail, St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer’s daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it “From Your Valentine.” For his great service, Valentine was named a saint after his death.

Valentine has wide-ranging spiritual responsibilities. People call on him to watch over the lives of lovers, of course, but also for interventions regarding beekeeping and epilepsy, as well as the plague, fainting and traveling. As you might expect, he’s also the patron saint of engaged couples and happy marriages.

When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those who had a wife and children, he outlawed marriage for all young men. St Valentine felt this decree was unjust and decided to defy Claudius by continuing to perform marriages for young couples in secret.

One Saint Valentine was supposedly a Roman priest who performed secret weddings against the wishes of the authorities in the third century. Imprisoned in the home of a noble, he healed his captor’s blind daughter, causing the whole household to convert to Christianity and sealing his fate.

And the greatest proof of love was given to us by Jesus Christ. He gave himself up entirely and poured out his blood for us. This is what Bishop Valentine, as a saint of the Catholic Church, inspires us to live out today in our lives.

Since the human heart has long been associated with emotion and pleasure, the shape was eventually co-opted as a symbol of romance and medieval courtly love.

According to the Catholic Church, there were several saints in the ancient world called Valentine. The Saint Valentine with whom we associate Valentine’s Day was a Catholic priest who lived in the 3rd Century in Rome. At this time Rome was the most powerful nation in the world and was ruled by Emperor Claudius II.

Dwynwen is the patron saint of lovers. Her feast day is January 25, Dydd Santes Dwynwen. If you are Welsh, or the one you love is Welsh, January 25 is an opportunity to express your affection and say “Dwy’n dy garu di” (“I love you”, in Welsh).

The Origins of Cupid

Although we have come to think of Cupid as a little child with pinchable cheeks, the original Cupid was a Roman God. And the Romans plucked him straight out of Greek Mythology, leaving his story intact and just renaming him. The origins for Cupid are in the Greek god Eros, the son of Aphrodite.

Featured Photo by Christopher Beloch on Unsplash