Saint Valentine

Valentine was a priest of Rome, or by another early tradition a bishop of Terni in Umbria, who was martyred around 269 and buried on the Via Flaminia north of Rome, where a basilica was later built over his tomb. Historians are not sure whether the two traditions refer to one man or two, and few reliable details of his life survive.

Later legends say that he secretly married Christian couples during a time when the emperor discouraged soldiers from marrying, and that he cured the blind daughter of his jailer. In 1969 his memorial was removed from the General Roman Calendar because so little is known for certain, but he remains in the Roman Martyrology on February 14. The link between his feast and romantic love appears in the late Middle Ages, notably in the poetry of Geoffrey Chaucer, and grew into the worldwide custom of exchanging valentines.

In Mexico and much of Latin America, February 14 is the Día del Amor y la Amistad, when people give flowers, chocolates and cards not only to sweethearts but also to friends and classmates; in Colombia the Día del Amor y la Amistad is kept in September instead. Some parishes offer a blessing of couples or a renewal of wedding vows.

Relics said to be his are honored in the Carmelite church on Whitefriar Street in Dublin and in Terni, Italy.