Saint Valentine, There Were Three

Saint Valentine, There Were Three — Today commemorates the martyrdom  of Saint Valentine. Actually, three Saint Valentines as three different men named Valentine were martyred on this day way back according to Church tradition.

One of them died in Africa with a number of others. Little is known about him and he is not associated with customs of romantic love that have evolved around this date.

The others were a priest and a bishop who were martyred outside Rome in late 3rd century.  According to tradition, the priest was caught marrying Christians who at the time were being persecuted and was arrested. The Emperor Claudius took a liking to him until the priest hit a little too close to home in discussions about faith and Jesus, so he ordered him beaten and beheaded.

According to tradition, the Bishop was under house arrest in the custody of a Judge Asterius who put his faith to the test by asking him to restore the sight of his blind daughter. He did and the judge destroyed his home idols and converted. The Bishop was later rearrested and executed as he continued to practice his faith despite the decree of Claudius.

The romantic tradition appears to have been started by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century, and was based on the notion that birds mate in mid-February around the time of Saint Valentine’s Day.

 

Saint Valentine, There Were Three

Saint Valentine, There Were Three

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