Roman Bishop Influenced Valentine's Day
The history of Valentine's Day, part two:
Who was St. Valentine anyway? Before 1969, when the Catholic Church streamlined its list of old-time saints, that list contained as many as seven men named Valentine (or, in Latin, Valentinus); all of whom had February 14 as their official saint's day.But the Valentine who did the most to influence St. Valentine's Day as a day for lovers was a bishop who lived during the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius.
According to the Be My Valentine site, this Valentine became the subject of several stories and legends. In one version, "Claudius was heavily recruiting men to serve as soldiers for his wars without much success. The men preferred not to leave their wives, families and sweethearts to fight in foreign lands. Claudius became angry and declared that no more marriages could be performed and all engagements were cancelled.
Valentine thought this to be unfair and secretly married several couples. When Claudius found out, he threw Valentine in prison where he died. Friends of the priest retrieved his body and buried it in a churchyard in Rome."
Another version of the story had St. Valentine jailed for helping Christians: "While Valentine was in prison he cured a jailer's daughter of blindness. Claudius became enraged and had Valentine clubbed and beheaded on February 14, 269 AD" But before he was killed, according to the legend, "Valentine fell in love with the jailer's daughter, and wrote her letters signed 'From your Valentine.'" (This was before priests and bishops were forbidden to marry.)
Through the centuries, the holiday became a time to exchange love messages. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers and of couples wishing to marry.
As noted on the Present Picker site, "In 1969, St. Valentine was removed from the Christian calendar; but, in name, he continues to be an icon of devotion."
