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| Antique Valentine's card; Photo Credit: Wikipedia |
Saint Valentine's Day,
commonly shortened to Valentine's Day
is a holiday observed on February 14 honoring one or more
early Christian martyrs
named Saint Valentine. It was first established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD, and was later deleted from the General Roman Calendar of
saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI.
The day first became associated with romantic love in
the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. By the 15th century, it had
evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed
their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines").
Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart-shaped
outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century,
handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.
Numerous early Christian martyrs were named Valentine. The Valentines honored on February 14 are Valentine of
Rome (Valentinus presb. m. Romae) and Valentine of Terni (Valentinus
ep. Interamnensis m. Romae). Valentine of Rome was a priest in
Rome who was martyred about AD 269 and was buried on the Via Flaminia. His relics are at the Church of Saint
Praxed in Rome, and at Whitefriar Street Carmelite
Church in Dublin, Ireland.
Valentine of Terni became bishop of Interamna (modern Terni)
about AD 197 and is said to have been martyred during the persecution under
Emperor Aurelian. He is also buried on the Via Flaminia, but in
a different location than Valentine of Rome. His relics are at the Basilica of
Saint Valentine in Terni (Basilica di San Valentino).
The Catholic Encyclopedia
also speaks of a third saint named Valentine who was mentioned in early martyrologies under date of February 14. He was
martyred in Africa with a number of companions, but nothing more is known about
him.
No romantic elements are present in the original early medieval biographies of either of these martyrs. By the
time a Saint Valentine became linked to romance in the 14th century,
distinctions between Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni were utterly lost.
Saint Valentine's head was preserved in the abbey of New Minster, Winchester
and venerated. But there is no evidence that Saint Valentine was a popular
saint before Chaucer's poems in 14th century, not even in the area of
Winchester. Saint Valentine's celebration didn't differ from the celebrations
of many other saints, and no church was ever dedicated to him.
In the 1969 revision of the Roman Catholic Calendar of
Saints, the feast day of Saint
Valentine on February 14 was removed from the General Roman Calendar and
relegated to particular (local or even national) calendars for the following
reason: "Though the memorial of Saint Valentine is ancient, it is left to
particular calendars, since, apart from his name, nothing is known of Saint
Valentine except that he was buried on the Via Flaminia on February 14, The feast
day is still celebrated in Balzan
(Malta) where relics of the saint are claimed to be
found, and also throughout the world by Traditionalist Catholics
who follow the older, pre-Second Vatican Council calendar. February 14 is also celebrated as St
Valentine's Day in other Christian denominations; it has, for example, the rank
of 'commemoration' in the calendar of the Church of England
and other parts of the Anglican Communion.
The Early Medieval acta of either Saint Valentine were
expounded briefly in Legenda Aurea.
According to that version, St Valentine was persecuted as a Christian and interrogated by Roman Emperor Claudius II in person. Claudius was impressed by
Valentine and had a discussion with him, attempting to get him to convert to
Roman paganism in order to save his life. Valentine refused and tried to
convert Claudius to Christianity instead. Because of this, he was executed.
Before his execution, he is reported to have performed a miracle by healing the
blind daughter of his jailer.
Since Legenda Aurea still provided no connections whatsoever with
sentimental love, appropriate lore has been embroidered in modern times to
portray Valentine as a priest who refused an unattested law attributed to Roman
Emperor Claudius II, allegedly ordering that young men remain single. The
Emperor supposedly did this to grow his army, believing that married men did
not make for good soldiers. The priest Valentine, however, secretly performed
marriage ceremonies for young men. When Claudius found out about this, he had
Valentine arrested and thrown in jail.
There is an additional modern embellishment to The Golden Legend,
provided by American Greetings to History.com, and widely repeated despite having no
historical basis whatsoever. On the evening before Valentine was to be executed, he would have written the first
"valentine" card himself, addressed to the blind daughter of his
jailor Asterius, signing as "From your Valentine”.
