Who was St. Valentine?

St. Valentine’s day and the tradition of exchanging gifts, flowers and cards has been long established. Why do we celebrate this and who was St. Valentine?

There are many theories and stories however, all are steeped in the belief and price of heroic love and passion.

The Catholic Church identifies more than one saint with the name of Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One of these was a priest from the 3rd century in Rome. Believing that single men made better soldiers than married ones, Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage for young men. The priest, Valentine defied Claudius and still performed marriage ceremonies for young lovers in secrets. He was inevitably put to death when discovered on February 14th about 270 A.D.

Another story is that Valentine was one who sent the first valentine greeting when in prison, where he fell in love with the jailor’s daughter who visited him. His letter was signed “from your Valentine” and she kept it close to heart long after he died.
Whatever the origins, centuries of Valentine messages and gestures have been passed through the ages - there are 180 million (Hallmark research) Valentine’s Day cards exchanged annually.

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