Who was St. Valentine?

The patron saint of love and happy marriages, among other things, Saint Valentine was a 3rd-century Roman saint.

His feast day, of course, is Feb. 14 – Valentine’s Day.

But who was he?

First, let’s just say his feast day doesn’t refer to consuming chocolate or fancy dinners out, but rather a tradition of courtly love. And the identity of the real Saint Valentine is somewhat curious. Some say a priest, others a bishop. Some point to this person, others to another.

For the sake of Valentine’s Day, let’s go with a popular account …

It goes like this: Valentine was martyred in 269 A.D., having been found out for secretly marrying couples at a time when the Roman Emperor Claudius made it law that young men were not to marry, due to the perception that those men would fight with more zeal if they didn’t have a wife and family to worry about.

Enter Valentine, an Italian bishop of Terni, who married couples nonetheless. For that, he was imprisoned, tortured and killed, beheaded on Feb. 14, 269.

Now that’s a love story.


Photo: St. Valentine. Photo Aleteia