7 Surprising Facts about St. Valentine
Who is St. Valentine and why do we celebrate him on February 14th?
7 Surprising Facts about St. Valentine
- St. Valentine of Rome is the patron saint for beekeepers, people with epilepsy, travelers, young people, helping end plagues (we need his prayers now), and of course, the patron saint of love, engaged couples, happy marriages, and those looking for their holy spouse.
- Valentine was a priest in Rome who lived in the third century after Christ.
- He was jailed by the Roman Emperor Claudius II, for his deceit in not obeying the emperor’s demand to stop performing Christian marriages.
- Claudius II ruled against Christian teaching because he didn’t want anyone to be worshipped other than him. The emperor wanted to maintain a strong army and found it difficult to recruit Roman men to be soldiers since they were unwilling to leave their wives and families. St. Valentine did not let Claudius II interfere in his teaching of Christianity and continued to encourage LOVE and celebrate Christian weddings.
- St. Valentine wrote letters to Claudius’s daughter from prison and miraculously healed her from blindness.
- His final letter to Claudius’s daughters was signed “From your Valentine”. In 296 AD, the emperor had him tortured and killed.
- Valentine became a saint in 496 AD and has been celebrated on February 14th for love and Christian marriages ever since.
Today let’s celebrate love and ask for God’s divine protection over marriages.
—Amy D'Ambra/MSMH Founder and Co-Owner
