February 14 is the day to share chocolates, special dinners and cards with our loved ones, we do it all in the name of Saint Valentine. This raises the question who was Saint Valentine? 

St. Valentine is the name of one or two Christian martyrs. The Roman Catholic Church continues to recognize St. Valentine as a saint of the church despite him being removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969 because of unreliable information about him. He is also the patron saint of lovers, epileptics, and beekeepers.  

Some accounts say St. Valentine was a priest and physician that suffered martyrdom during the persecution of Christians in 270. Other accounts say he was a bishop in Terni, Italy who was martyred in Rome and his relics were later taken to Terni.  

According to legend, St. Valentine signed a letter to his jailer’s daughter that read “from your valentine”, he also healed her from blindness. Another common legend is that he defied orders from the emperor and would secretly marry couples to spare the husbands from war.