St. Valentine, patron saint of love and happy marriages
A commemoration
Saint: St. Valentine
Patron of: Love, Young People, Happy Marriages
Images: Depicted with birds, roses
Commemoration Day: February 14
Valentine’s Day cards and candy fill the isles of stores as soon as the Christmas items can be pushed to the clearance section. At the same time, jewelers begin their forceful campaigns to tell the public one cannot express love without the purchase of jewels. Like other days originally set aside to honor religious figures, Valentine’s Day has become, for many, a commercial Hallmark holiday filled with candy hearts, images of Cupid, expensive gifts and fancy dinners. So how did this former religious feast day become what it is today?
Unfortunately, the exact origin of St. Valentine’s Day is unknown. There are three martyrs, all named St. Valentine, whose histories have all been tied to the date of February 14.
The first legend tells of a priest from Rome. It is believed he was beheaded in the latter half of the 3rd century at the direction of Claudius II. Claudius believed single men would stay in the army longer and forbid soldiers to wed. Valentine secretly performed weddings for soldiers and their brides. For this, Claudius had him killed. As a result, St. Valentine was made the patron saint of lovers.
Another of the legends indicates Valentine was arrested for helping persecuted Christians and his refusal to worship pagan gods. It is believed that while he was imprisoned, he befriended his jailer’s daughter and miraculously cured her blindness. It is also said that on the day of his execution, February 14, he sent her a note and signed it “your Valentine.”
A third mention places St. Valentine suffering in Africa with companions. Nothing more is known of this man.
Although none of these men appear on the earliest list of Roman martyrs prepared by the Chronographer of 354, the feast of St. Valentine was officially established by Pope Gelasius I in 496.
For 800 years or so, Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia, a holiday that honored the Roman protector of crops and herds, Lupercus. His feast was celebrated on February 14 with a festival. Prior to the fest, young women put their names in a jar or box. Once a young man drew a young woman’s name, they were partners for the remainder of the year. In the hopes of eradicating this pagan celebration, Pope Gelasius I moved the feast day to February 14. Bishops replaced the young women’s names in the jars with those of saints for the young men to emulate for the rest of the year. The feast of Lupercalia was phased out and St. Valentine’s Day remained. Of saints like Valentine, Pope Gelasius said, “…whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God.” Even back then, there was not clarity as to who St. Valentine was.
Aside from the Catholic Church’s beliefs about St. Valentine, the English and the French also had their own thoughts about February 14. During the Middle Ages, they believed that birds began to pair up halfway through the second month of the year, February 14. As a result, the day was designated for lovers to send each other letters and special tokens. The first recorded instance of this celebration taking place is believed to be in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Parliament of Foules as indicated below:
For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day
Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.
Throughout the years, the Catholic Church continued to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day as a simple feast. In 1955, Pope Pius XII reduced the day to a commemoration due to the lack of documented evidence about St. Valentine.
Today, Catholics still recognize St. Valentine as a saint and February 14 is still listed as a commemoration.
This year, after you pick up a box of candy message hearts or roses, remember the one for who this celebration originated – St. Valentine. In honor of the patron saint of love, young people and happy marriages who was martyred for his love of the Lord, think of something more spiritual to do for your loved ones on February 14? Visit http://www.foryourmarriage.org/ for ideas on how to improve your marriage or go to http://www.catholicgreetings.org/Holiday/valentinesday.asp to send a religious Valentine’s Day e-card.
Article by Gillian Lester-George
Front cover St. Valentine illustration created by Manuel D. Montesinos