Valentine Information

Valentine was a priest in Rome. According to the Roman Martyrology, Valentine died for the faith, 14th February, 269, under Claudius II, the Emperor at the time.

The Martyrology says:
"At Rome, on the Flaminian Way, the heavenly birthday of the blessed martyr Valentine, a priest. After performing many miraculous cures and giving much wise counsel he was beaten and beheaded under Claudius Caesar".

The church where he was buried already existed in the fourth century and was the first sanctuary Roman pilgrims visited upon entering the Eternal City.

On February 14th, in ancient Rome, the festival of Lupercalia was celebrated. Supposedly on this day, in early spring, the birds started mating. Young girls made decorated love messages and placed them in a large urn. The young men drew these from the urn and in the next year each one would court the maid whose name he had picked.

The Roman Emperor Claudius II of the time forbade the young men to marry because he thought single men made better soldiers. Valentine secretly married young couples and was arrested and put in prison. The threat of death could not induce Valentine to renounce his faith. While in prison he prayed for and healed the blind daughter of a judge, Asterius, who with his family converted to Christianity and suffered martyrdom with Valentine. Before his execution, Valentine wrote a farewell message to the daughter of the judge and signed it "from your Valentine". Legend had it that a pink almond tree blossomed near his grave, a symbol of abiding.

The Roman ceremony was Christianised by the early Church. In 498 A.D. Pope Gelasius named February 14th as St. Valentine's Day. A Basilica was built in his honour near the cemetery of St. Hippolytus where his remains were found. The crocus, which flowers about this time of the year is also known as St. Valentine's flower.