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Holidays and Observances - Was There Really A Saint Valentine?

Was there really a Saint Valentine?

Legends tell of several Christians named Valentine who were persecuted and killed during the early years of the Christian church. (Christians are followers of the religion founded by Jesus of Nazareth, called the Christ.) On February 14, A.D. 270, a Catholic priest named Valentine was killed in Italy; at the same time a bishop of Terni, Umbria, also named Valentine, was executed in Rome. Many people believe these references are really to the same person. Legend says that Valentine, while awaiting execution, wrote a letter to his jailer's daughter and signed it "from your Valentine." Valentine was later sainted and February 14 became the feast day of Saint Valentine in the Catholic Church calendar. Soon Saint Valentine's Day became associated with girls and boys exchanging signs of love, like cards, flowers, and candy.

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