Five years ago I posted a history of valentines (with lots of interesting pictures). This year I decided to look back further in history to find out what I could about Saint Valentine.

Who was Saint Valentine? According to Encyclopaedia Britannica we don’t really know. It was the name of either one or two Christian martyrs of the 3rd century.

1. A Roman priest and physician executed under Emperor Claudius II Gothicus circa 270.
2. The bishop of Teri, Italy, who was also martyred.
3. The third possibility is that these men were one in the same.

Legends about Saint Valentine include:

1. He befriended his jailer’s daughter and signed a letter “from your Valentine.”
2. He secretly married couples after the emperor outlawed marriage for young men since single men made better soldiers.

Saint Valentine was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969 because of the lack of historical information. Of course his feast day is still recognized on February 14. He is not only the patron saint of lovers, but also of beekeepers and epileptics.

Sources

• “St. Valentine” via Encyclopaedia Britannica
• “History of Valentine’s Day” via History.com