Saint of February 14: Who is St. Valentine?
Valentine's Day, celebrated every year on February 14, is a very old tradition. Today, which has its roots in a three-day festival called Lupercalia in the Roman period, is known as "St Valentine's Day" in some societies. So who is St. Valentine, who gave his name to this day?
The first official St. Valentine's Day was declared by Pope Gelasius on February 14, 496. It was named after one of the martyrs of that time. But there is no clear information about which martyr this is.
According to one comment
Valentine or Valentinus is one of the Roman saints according to Christian belief. It is thought that he died in 270 AD. The first statements in official sources about the identity of St. Valentine were made by Pope Gelasius, who died in 496 AD.
He is also known as the Saint of Lovers. Valentine is commemorated every year on February 14, and over time, this day turned into Valentine's Day.
Saint Valentine (Italian: San Valentino; Latin: Valentinus) was a 3rd-century Roman saint, commemorated in Western Christianity on February 14 and in Eastern Orthodoxy on July 6. From the High Middle Ages, his Saints' Day has been associated with a tradition of courtly love. He is also a patron saint of Terni, epilepsy and beekeepers. Saint Valentine was a clergyman – either a priest or a bishop – in the Roman Empire who ministered to persecuted Christians. He was martyred and his body buried on the Via Flaminia on February 14, which has been observed as the Feast of Saint Valentine (Saint Valentine's Day) since at least the eighth century.
There is another saint referred to as Valentinus in Christian texts. Although some consider these two saints as one person, some researchers claim that Valentine's Day originates not from Valentine's but from another saint called Valentinus.
The most common explanation is that St. Valentine was a priest in Rome and was killed in the 3rd century. However, it is said that there were two other Saint Valentines who lived during this period.
The connection between romantic love and Valentine is never mentioned in historical documents and, according to some historians, it is just a legend. The day of celebration in honor of Valentine was declared by Pope Gelasius on February 14, 496.
In 1969, the church removed St. Valentine's Day from its calendar.