Interesting Points on St. Valentine's Day and Saint Valentine

Some Points of Interest on Saint Valentine and Valentine’s Day is a fascinating mix of ancient Roman traditions, early Christian martyrdom, medieval romance customs, and modern commercial celebration. Very little is definitively known about the historical Saint Valentine, much of the story is based on legend, but here’s a breakdown of the key elements & evolution.

Who Was Saint Valentine? The Catholic Church recognizes multiple saints named Valentine (or Valentinus), but the one associated with February 14 is usually Saint Valentine of Rome (a priest) or possibly Valentine of Terni (a bishop). Both are said to have lived in the 3rd century and been martyred around A.D. 269–270.

• Most popular legend: During the reign of Emperor Claudius II, Valentine (a priest) secretly married Christian couples. Claudius had banned young men from marrying, believing single men made better soldiers. Valentine was arrested, imprisoned, and eventually executed (beheaded) on February 14.

• Additional legends: ~ While in prison, he restored sight to (or healed) the blind daughter of his jailer.

~ Before execution, he supposedly wrote her a farewell letter signed “From your Valentine” — the origin of the modern phrase.

~ Historical reality: These romantic details first appeared centuries later (especially in the 14th–18th centuries). Early records only describe him as a martyr who refused to renounce his faith. Pope Gelasius I (in 496 AD) called the stories about Valentine “known only to God,” indicating even then the details were uncertain.

The Catholic Church removed St. Valentine’s liturgical feast from the General Roman Calendar in 1969 due to lack of reliable historical evidence (though he remains a recognized saint in the Roman Martyrology). There are actually 12–14 saints named Valentine in Church records, plus variations like a female saint named Valentina.

Origins of February 14 as a Date:

February 14 was first declared St. Valentine’s feast day in the late 5th century (496 AD by Pope Gelasius I). Some historians believe the Church placed the feast in mid-February to replace or “Christianize” the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia.

Lupercalia (ancient Roman precursor)

• Celebrated February 13–15 ’! fertility festival honoring Faunus (god of agriculture) and the founders Romulus & Remus.

• Rituals included animal sacrifice (goat and dog), then young men (Luperci) running naked or semi-naked through Rome, whipping women with goat-hide strips to promote fertility and ward off evil.

• It was a public, rowdy, fertility-oriented celebration — very different from modern romance, but sharing the mid-February timing.

While Lupercalia and Valentine’s Day overlap in date and general theme of “love/fertility,” most modern historians say the direct connection is weak or overstated. The romantic association came much later.

The link between St. Valentine and romantic love developed slowly:

In short: Saint Valentine was likely a real 3rd-century martyr, but the romantic legends grew centuries later. Valentine’s Day evolved from a Christian feast day (possibly layered over a Roman fertility rite) into the global celebration of love we know today — far more shaped by medieval poetry and 19th/20th-century marketing than by the original saint’s life.