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| '''Saint Valentine''' or '''Saint Valentinus''' refers to one of a number of |
'''Saint Valentine''' or '''Saint Valentinus''' refers to one of a number of ] ]s who lived in ]. The feast of Saint Valentine was formally celebrated on ] by the ] until ]. | ||
| The feast of St. Valentine was first declared around ] by ]. The creation of the feast may have been an attempt to supercede the pagan holiday of ] which fell on ]. | |||
| The ] of the former Valentine is part of the legend of Saints Marius and Martha and their companions; that of the latter has no better historical foundation. Thus, no argument can be drawn from either account to differentiate the two saints. It would appear from the two accounts that both belonged to the same period, namely the reign of the emperor ] Gothicus; that both died on the same day; and that both were buried on the ], but at different distances from ]. The ''Martyrologium Hieronymianum'' mentions only one Valentinus: ''Interamnae miliario LXIIII. via Flaminia natale Valentini''. It is probable that the basilica situated at the second milestone on the Via Flaminia was also dedicated to him. The date of his death remains undetermined. | |||
| According the '']'', the saint whose feast was celebrated on the day now known as ] was possibly one of the three martyred men who lived in the late ] during the reign of ]: | |||
| The Saint Valentinus who appears as the apostle of ], and who receives veneration in ] as its first bishop, flourished in the 5th century. | |||
| *a ] in ] | |||
| Although the name of Saint Valentine is very popular in ], apparently no church has been dedicated to him. For the special observances commonly connected with Saint Valentine's Eve and Day, to which allusion is frequently made by English writers, such works as John Brand's ''Popular Antiquities'' (edited by W. C. Hazlitt, vol. ii. pp. 606-11, London, 1905), W. Hone's ''Every-Day Book'', and Chambers's ''Book of Days'' may be consulted. Their appropriateness to the spring season is, in a general way perhaps, obvious enough, but the association of the lovers' festival with St Valentine seems to be purely accidental. | |||
| *a ] of Iteramna (modern ] | |||
| *a martyr in the Roman province of ]. | |||
| It is believed that the priest and the bishop Valentinus are buried along the ] outside Rome, at different lengths from the city. In the ], the Roman city game known in Ancient times as the ] (as now known as the ]) was known as the Gate of St. Valentine. | |||
| See ''Acta Sanctorum'', February, ii. 753, 756, and January, i. 1094; G. B. de Rossi, ''Bullettino di archeologia cristiana'' (1871), p. 101 and (1878) p. 59. | |||
| Little is known about the lives of any of these men, however. Many of the current legends surrounding them were probably invented in the late ] in ] and ], when the feast day of ] became associated with ]. | |||
| ⚫ | The ] of one of the claimants to the title St. Valentine are now interred in |
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| ⚫ | The ] of one of the claimants to the title St. Valentine are now interred in the ] in ], ], to which they were donated by a nineteenth century pope. Many tourists visit the saint's remains on St. Valentine's Day. | ||
| See also: ] | |||
| The saint's feast day was removed from the Church calendar in ] as part of a broader effort to remove saints of possibly legendary origin. The feast day is still celebrated locally in some parishes. | |||
| ==Reference== | |||
| *Original text adapted from ] | |||
| ==References== | |||
| * on Saint Valentine | |||
Revision as of 04:14, 14 February 2004
Saint Valentine or Saint Valentinus refers to one of a number of matyred saints who lived in Ancient Rome. The feast of Saint Valentine was formally celebrated on February 14 by the Roman Catholic Church until 1969.
The feast of St. Valentine was first declared around 498 by Pope Gelasius I. The creation of the feast may have been an attempt to supercede the pagan holiday of Lupercalia which fell on February 15.
According the Catholic Encyclopedia, the saint whose feast was celebrated on the day now known as Valentine's Day was possibly one of the three martyred men who lived in the late 3rd century during the reign of Emperor Claudius II:
It is believed that the priest and the bishop Valentinus are buried along the Via Flaminia outside Rome, at different lengths from the city. In the 12th century, the Roman city game known in Ancient times as the Flaminian Gate (as now known as the Porta del Popolo) was known as the Gate of St. Valentine.
Little is known about the lives of any of these men, however. Many of the current legends surrounding them were probably invented in the late Middle Ages in France and England, when the feast day of February 14 became associated with romantic love.
The relics of one of the claimants to the title St. Valentine are now interred in the Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland, to which they were donated by a nineteenth century pope. Many tourists visit the saint's remains on St. Valentine's Day.
The saint's feast day was removed from the Church calendar in 1969 as part of a broader effort to remove saints of possibly legendary origin. The feast day is still celebrated locally in some parishes.
References
- Catholic Encyclopedia entry on Saint Valentine