Valentine’s Day is an iconic holiday celebrating love with a red, white, and pink heart motif that has been around for decades. But its history is old, far older than most realize, and it did not start with Hallmark cards and roses. Instead, it began with the feast day of a Catholic saint named Valentine, one of the few thoughts to have a historical presence beyond the legends.
Saint Valentine has the muddy history that characterizes most saints, with many stories surrounding him that are difficult to verify or find truth in. The only fully consistent part of his legend is that he was killed for his faith and buried north of Rome. There are two main narratives for the saint with such differing time frames. It is unclear if they refer to the same person. Regardless, the name Valentine is used for them both and the Catholic Church treats them as one.
One of his more well-known legends, and the one with the most in common between versions, is the story of how he converted a judge to Christianity. The setup differs, but one way or another, Saint Valentine is talking to a judge about his faith. This judge then gives Valentine a test: if he can heal the judge’s blind daughter, then the judge will do whatever Valentine wishes. Valentine succeeds and instead of asking for riches or worldly rewards, he asks the judge to break his statues of idols, fast, and get baptized. Soon enough, every member of the over forty-person household is Christian.
His arrest is another point of overlap, although the reason differs based on the account. One account claims that he was arrested for trying to convert people to Christianity. The more popular version of the myth, however, and the one that gave Valentine’s Day its romantic connotations, were his marriage ceremonies. Facilitating marriages may not seem all that extraordinary on its own, given that it falls under general priestly duties. But he married couples in secret to keep husbands from being sent off to war and generally aided Christians in defying the rule of the Roman Emperor. Combined with his determination to share his faith, these factors made him too much of a liability to leave alive. One story claims that the reason Saint Valentine was sentenced to death was that he attempted to convert the emperor himself to Christianity after forming a friendship with him.
As is typical with the legends of saints, Saint Valentine was given a choice: renounce his faith and live or be executed in a horribly painful way. His choice made him a martyr, and the celebrations that formed around him echoed the things he fought for. Even for those who aren’t Catholic and don’t care for the stories of saints, it’s nice to connect a holiday that oftentimes feels shallow with something more meaningful. Love is more than what’s in rom coms. It’s also sacrifice and taking risks even through uncertainty or fear.
