February 14th is Valentine’s Day, but how many of us know who Valentine’s Day is? Bishop and martyr known to the world as the patron saint of lovers, he was born in Terni to a patrician family in 176, converted to Christianity and was consecrated bishop of Terni in 197. He died on 14 February 273 AD
His skull is believed to be preserved in a glass case in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome. The skull is adorned with red roses and is an important relic, displayed to the faithful every February 14th. Nonetheless, according to other theories, the skull in question dates back to the early Christian catacombs, where the bodies of Christians martyred by the Romans were preserved, bodies that were often extracted and brought to Europe to be venerated as relics.
In Terni, where Valentine is the patron saint, the Feast of the Promise is still celebrated today, attended by young people about to get married and couples who have been married for years to exchange a vow of love in the Basilica dedicated to the Saint, where his remains are kept.
What are the origins of the saint
But why is this bishop associated with the feast of lovers? According to some legends, it was the Church that chose him to replace the god Lupercus, venerated in ancient Rome at this time of year.
In fact, if for some the date of the anniversary can be traced back to the day on which Valentine was martyred in 273, for others the choice depends rather on the Lupercalia, ancient fertility rituals celebrated in ancient Rome on 15 February, complete with processions and free love.
During the celebrations, the priests entered the cave where it was believed that the she-wolf had nursed Romulus and Remus, to carry out propitiatory sacrifices. Along the streets of the city, meanwhile, the blood of various animals was spilled while the names of men and women who worshiped the god Lupercus were placed in an urn and mixed up.
At this point a kind of “Cupid“child randomly drew names of couples who would have to live together for an entire year, to complete the fertility rite. Since it was a rite considered impure by the Church, the latter decided to replace the god Lupercus with the Christian martyr Valentine. It was Pope Gelasius who wanted it in 496 AD.
Why him? Because Valentine, according to some legends, was one of the few bishops of his era to formalize unions between Christian engaged couples and also dedicated his entire life to the Christian community, demonstrating a great deal of faith.
As for today’s holiday, it is probably due to the association made by Geoffrey Chaucer (1343 – 1400), in his poem “Parliament of Birds“, between the anniversary and the engagement of Richard II of England with Anne of Bohemia.
Valentine’s Day and love: legends
The legends regarding Valentine’s Day are countless and among these there is one that tells of the love between a young centurion named Sabino and a noble girl from Terni named Serapia.
Although they were mutually in love, they were separated by religion: he was pagan, she was Christian. The girl, desperate, turned to Bishop Valentino to convince Sabino to approach the Christian religion. Valentino managed to convince him and so the two prepared for the wedding.
Unfortunately, Serapia fell ill with tuberculosis not long after the wedding and, before dying, asked Valentino to celebrate the wedding early. While the two young people promised each other eternal love, Serapia died and soon after, so did Sabino.
Another legend entitled “The rose of forgiveness“Says that Valentino was walking in his garden when he heard two boyfriends arguing. He came out of the garden with a rose in his hand and asked the two young people to make peace by holding the stem, but being careful not to prick each other. Then he told them to ask God for forgiveness for the quarrel. At the beginning of February he celebrated their union and from then on, February 14th became the feast of lovers and the rose was a typical gift of the occasion.
Another legend has it that the bishop managed to give sight to the blind daughter of his jailer and that, on that occasion, he wrote the latter a note that read “From your Valentine“This is why, even today, lovers exchange sweet love notes on February 14th.
Valentine’s Day, the Saint of Children: the legends
Not everyone knows that Valentino is also the Saint of children because according to another legend, he used to welcome them into his beautiful garden, letting them play freely.
When he was imprisoned during the persecution, the children cried for a long time not only for the loss of their friend but also for that wonderful green space. So two carrier pigeons joined him in prison and landed on the window of his cell.
Valentino tied a note to the neck of the first pigeon in which he told the children that he loved him very much, while to the neck of the second he tied the key to the gate of his garden, so that the children could access it without him. This was how the children were able to return to the park and Valentino’s key became a symbol of his benevolence towards the children.
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