Valentine's Day and St. Valentine: What is the connection? (2024)

Valentine's Day celebrations are said to have drawn inspiration from St. Valentine, a Christian martyr of legendary status for over two thousand years, who is regarded as the patron saint of love, beekeeping, and epilepsy.

Although the exact date of his birth is unknown, it is believed that St. Valentine lived during the period spanning the late 2nd and early 3rd century AD. Historians remain uncertain whether today's celebrated St. Valentine is based on one or two religious martyrs who were executed by the Roman emperor Claudius II Gothicus in approximately 270 AD, as per Britannica.

According to a passed-down legend, St. Valentine was a Roman priest and physician who assisted persecuted Christians in marrying, an act that was deemed a violation under Gothicus' regime, leading to the saint's imprisonment and subsequent execution.

It is said that Pope Julius I of the Catholic Church ordered the construction of a basilica at the Via Flaminia, an ancient roadway connecting Rome and Rimini, over St. Valentine's burial site. In another popular legend, St. Valentine is believed to have been a bishop from Terni, Umbria, in central Italy, who conducted Christian weddings against the law and gave out paper hearts as a symbol of their loving commitments to God.

According to History.com, by 496 AD, Pope Gelasius declared February 14 as the Feast of Saint Valentine, as an effort to replace the pagan Feast of Lupercalia, which was related to health and fertility, with a Christian holiday. As time passed, the Feast of Saint Valentine transformed into a day for celebrating love, eventually evolving into the modern-day Valentine's Day.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill attribute the association of romantic love with Valentine's Day to the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer.

Geoffrey Chaucer's 14th-century poem, "Parlement of Foules," recounts the tale of a group of birds that assemble on Valentine's Day to find mates. Although the Roman Catholic Church acknowledges St. Valentine as a saint, he was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969 because of a lack of clarity surrounding his origins.

However, Valentine's Day continues to be celebrated globally and has grown into a multibillion-dollar industry, according to the National Retail Federation and numerous market research studies.

FAQs

1. When does the Valentine’s Week begin?
   February 7, every year.
2. What are other terms used for Valentine’s Day?
   Saint Valentine Day or Feast of St. Valentine

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