ST. VALENTINE
Also known as Valentine of Terni, Valentine of Rome
As we know there are various accounts as to whom St Valentine was and it number of deferent
legends, some of them have a lot of similarity.
Confusion wish surrounding who is exactly St Valentine was? According to the Catholic
Encyclopedia, at least three Saint Valentines are mentioned in the early metrologies under the
date of 14 February. One is described as a priest at Rome, another as a Bishop of Interamna
(now Terni in Italy) and the other lived and died in Africa
The Bishop of Interamna is most widely accepted as the basis of the modern saint. He was an
early Christian martyr who lived in northern Italy in the third century and was put to death on 14
February around 270AD on the orders of emperor Claudius the Second for flouting the ban on
Christianity.
However, though Valentine of Terni and Valentine of Rome have separate entries in
martyrologies and biographies, most scholars believe they are the same person.
The first of the Saints was considered to be a Roman Priest or Bishop of the Christian faith,
who was also a physician and practiced his trade from his house. He was said to cure the sick of
ailments, giving them special medicines or ointments. He was said to have done this out of the
goodness of his heart sometimes refusing any payment whatsoever or accepting a loaf of bread
or whatever could be spared by the sick. One Day the jailer bought his daughter to see Valentine,
so as to see if she could have her sight gained and Valentine was said to have rubbed an
ointment on her eyes and told the jailer to bring her back once a week to have the ointment
rubbed on her eyes.
Every night he would pray under the dark of night for the sick to be cured. As a result of his
beliefs he was arrested and thrown in jail. The jailer who could not do a thing went to see
Valentine moments before he was to be executed at which point Valentine asked for a piece of
paper and pen on the piece of paper it is said he was suppose to have written "from your
Valentine" and inside the paper also was a blossom of which it is said gave the girl her sight.
The second of the Saints was said to have been a priest also, but, that he was secretly carrying
out marriages of young lovers which under the Emperor Claudius II's laws at the time was
forbidden, the reason being that Claudius did not want the men marrying because they must be
able to concentrate on war and not their loved one.
Which of this stories is true, we don’t know, but today we still celebrating St Valentine's day by
exchanging gifts such as cards, candy, flowers, etc. The reason why we celebrate it on February
14 is this was the day on which it is said that St Valentine was executed.
| 
