Valentine’s Day occurs every February 14. Across the United States and in other places around the world, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint?
Vocabulary
contend | /kənˈtend/ v. assert something as a position in an argument One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. |
decree | /dəˈkrē/ n. an official order issued by a legal authority. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree… |
confinement | /kənˈfīnmənt/ n. the state of being forced to stay in a prison or another place which you cannot leave. |
murky | /ˈmərkē/ adj. not fully explained or understood.\; not clear. |
reliquary (ies) | /ˈreləˌkwerē/ n. a receptacle or repository for relics, esp relics of saints. |
Comprehension Questions
1. What happened to the saints who were
named Valentine?
2. Who outlawed marriage for the young unmarried soldier? Why?
3. Who defied the Emperor and continued to perform marriage for young lovers in secret?
4. What was the first “valentine” greeting that is still in use today?
5. Where is the flower-adorned skull of St. Valentine displayed?
Article
The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Still, others insist that it was Saint Valentine of Terni, a bishop, who was the true namesake of the holiday. He, too, was beheaded by Claudius II outside Rome.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl—possibly his jailor’s daughter—who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and—most importantly—romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.
The flower-adorned skull of St. Valentine is on display in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome. In the early 1800s, the excavation of a catacomb near Rome yielded skeletal remains and other relics now associated with St. Valentine. As is customary, these bits and pieces of the late saint’s body have subsequently been distributed to reliquaries around the world. You’ll find other bits of St. Valentine’s skeleton on display in the Czech Republic, Ireland, Scotland, England, and France.
Reference:
https://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day-2#the-legend-of-st-valentine