There are two Valentines listed in the Roman Martyrology on 14th February:
one a Roman priest martyred on the Flaminian Way, supposedly under Claudius,
the other a bishop of Terni who was martyred at Rome, but whose relics were
translated to Terni.
The acts of both are unreliable and the Bollandists assert that these two
Valentines were in fact one and the same.
Neither of them seems to have any clear connection with lovers or courting
couples. The reason for this famous patronage is that birds are supposed to
pair on the 14th February, a belief at least as old as Chaucer, just as the
custom of choosing and calling oneself a Valentine is as old as the Paston
Letters. On the other hand some authorities see the custom of choosing a
partner on St Valentine's Day as the survival of elements of the Roman
Lupercalia festival, which took place in the middle of February.
Whatever the reason, the connection of lovers with St Valentine, with all
its consequences for the printing and retailing industries, is one of the
less likely results of the cult of the Roman martyrs.
There seem to be no churches in England dedicated to Valentine, but from
1835 the Carmelite church in Dublin have claimed his relics.
His feast day is of course the 14th February.
Written and contributed by Phillip Lloyd.
