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As we deepen our relationship with the Eternal Word, Jesus Christ, we grow in grace and are transformed by His love and mercy.
c. 225–c. 270
Patron Saint of engaged couples; happy marriages; love; beekeepers; against fainting, plague, and epilepsy
According to tradition, when St. Valentine was imprisoned, a judge challenged him to heal his blind daughter. When the saint restored the girl’s eyesight, it was the judge’s eyes that were opened to Truth. The judge freed all Christian inmates under his authority, and he and 44 members of his household were baptized.
St. Valentine is one of the Church’s early martyrs, venerated since antiquity and honored on February 14. According to early traditions, he was a Roman priest who suffered death along the Via Flaminia during the persecution of Emperor Claudius II around the year 269.
According to tradition, St. Valentine was known for strengthening Christian families and encouraging holy marriages. Later accounts—reflecting pious legend rather than verifiable biography—claim he secretly assisted Christian couples seeking a sacramental marriage at a time when Roman law discouraged such unions, believing married soldiers were less effective.
St. Valentine was arrested for proclaiming the Gospel and was reportedly brought before Emperor Claudius II. Even under interrogation, he is said to have spoken boldly of Christ and attempted to convert his interrogators. When he refused to renounce his faith, St. Valentine was beaten and executed by beheading.
Later medieval customs linked St. Valentine’s feast to romantic affection, but the Church’s earliest memory of him was deeply rooted in love for Christ. He was a priest who chose fidelity to Christ over his own life. St. Valentine’s relics were venerated along the Via Flaminia, where a basilica was later built in his honor.
Pope Julius I built the original basilica over St. Valentine’s burial site on the Via Flaminia in the fourth century, where he was venerated for more than nine hundred years. Over time, the church’s structure deteriorated. Pope Nicholas IV transferred the relics to the church of Santa Prassede, where St. Valentine’s relics were laid alongside St. Zeno’s, another beloved martyr of the Church.
A skull, crowned with flowers, is displayed in Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. It is believed to be that of St. Valentine. The skull was discovered during an excavation in a Roman catacomb in the early 1800s. The skull, displayed on a side altar, is among the most prominent relics, attracting pilgrims who venerate it as a symbol of faith and love. While some scholars dispute the authenticity of the skull, it is most associated with St. Valentine, the third-century Roman priest and martyr who secretly performed marriages for young couples, defying Emperor Claudius II’s ban on marriage for soldiers.
Evidence shows that in the third century, Roman law forbade soldiers from marrying. Emperor Claudius II reportedly banned soldiers from getting married because he believed unmarried men were less distracted by family concerns and had more to gain from fighting for Rome. Soldiers who married secretly did so at the risk of severe punishment, including death. According to tradition, St. Valentine defied this law by secretly performing marriages for young couples, leading to his own imprisonment and martyrdom.
The Holy Rosary is an amazing prayer, encouraged by popes, loved by saints, and prayed by the faithful. At its heart, the Rosary is a meditation on Sacred Scripture, on the lives of Jesus and Mary.
Through this Scriptural Rosary, we hope that you will be able to better meditate on each Hail Mary and deepen your understanding of Sacred Scripture. Use the form below to get your free copy of The Scriptural Rosary.
Fr. Chris talks about the importance of Ash Wednesday and when it falls on St. Valentine’s Day, which makes it doubly appropriate to think of others and not ourselves.
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As we deepen our relationship with the Eternal Word, Jesus Christ, we grow in grace and are transformed by His love and mercy.
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