The Real St. Valentine: Uncovering the mystique behind the Patron Saint of Love
(WWTI) – It's almost Valentine's Day… Actually, it's almost St. Valentine's Day, but who is St. Valentine and why is he associated with love and romance?
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So, when did writers and readers associate Saint Valentine with the idea of romantic love? In the late 14th century, English poet Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a popular poem called 'Parliament of Fowls.' The poem includes a line that reads:
'For this was on Saint Valentine's Day, when every bird comes there to choose his mate.'
Victorians also gave the holiday a boost. According to History.com, Valentine's Day was so popular that postal carriers received special meal allowances to keep themselves running during the frenzy leading up to Feb. 14. Although, those cards may have had a sour note… Don't worry about that though; because it's St. Valentine, we're really interested in.
First of all, St. Valentine is a third-century Roman saint, commonly associated with birds and roses, says Catholic Online. He is the Patron Saint of:
Affianced couples;
Bee keepers;
Engaged couples;
Epilepsy;
Fainting;
Greetings;
Happy marriages;
Love;
Lovers;
Plague;
Travelers; and
Young people.
Now hold on don't stop reading yet because there is tea to spill, just be patient.
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St. Valentine had a soft spot for lovers, even going so far as to perform illegal marriages, according to History.com. You see what happened was that Roman Emperor Claudius II, aka Claudius the Cruel, wanted to maintain a strong army but no one wanted to join in his unpopular and bloody campaigns. This was an issue and he believed that the reason no one wanted to join was because they had a strong attachment to their wives and families; so, he banned all marriages and engagements in Rome.
You might be thinking 'That's a little extreme' and St. Valentine would agree with you. See, he defied the emperor's orders, viewing them as unjust, and performed marriages for young lovers in secret. He was, of course, found out and promptly arrested.
St. Valentine was sentenced to death by being beaten with clubs and to have his head, well, removed. However, before he was executed St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter and signed it 'From Your Valentine.' Some stories have him being simply a friend of the jailer's daughter others say he healed her blindness while imprisoned, said Catholic Online. Whatever the truth is on that, he was executed on February 14, in the year 269, 270, 273 or 280.
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Now, there's more to the story, just little things, like St. Valentine may have been two different men. Britannica says he was even removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969 because of lack of reliable information. There are about a dozen St. Valentines, and a pope.
According to Atlas Expora, You can actually meet St. Valentine! If you don't mind a one-sided conversation, as his skull is on display in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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