The Legend of St. Valentine
Saint Valentine was actually a Bishop, who was a Priest, a kind and humane Roman Priest, who held the celebration of sacred love at high esteme, and he also enjoyed uniting young couples in Wedded Matrimony, and was executed due to that fact.
Now this act, performing wedding ceremonies, was frowned upon by the Roman Emperor Claudius II. Claudius was a bit of nasty fella, a warlord, nicknamed ‘Claudius the Cruel’, and when the big Roman war began, Claudius put out a decree for all available men to attend their stations, prepare for battle. Only not soo many Romans showed up. Infact, every year that the great battle was being fought, the number of soldiers signing up for Claudius’ army was declining. Emperor Claudius was furious, when he discovered that his Roman’s didn’t want to go to war, because of love. They were either married, married with children, or engaged to be married. They didn’t want to leave the loves of their lives, their sweethearts. And this was unacceptable to the Emperor Claudius II.
The Christian faith was banned, marriages were banned, all engagements were illegal and ordered to be dissolved, and anyone daring to convert their faith to Christianity would be considered an enemy to the Empire and would be executed.
So, Roman Priest Valentine continued on in his work, teaching of his God, and performing marriage ceremonies in the eyes of God, all in secret. And the Priest, Valentine was caught, and imprisoned, after refusing to denounce his Christian faith. Everyone loved the Roman Priest Valentine, it is said they each had slipped him pieces of paper, rolled up, with a ribbon tied around it, through the prison wall, in continuing to ask the Priest for blessings, and also offering him words of comfort. The young, the old, the wealthy, the poor, scholars, and the ignorant. His popularity was unchallenged, the people had faith in Valentine, the people always knelt to Valentine, and asked for his blessings, before the fire was set to the alter for his preaching. He was kind-hearted, soft spoken, and the people were in melancholy due to the fact that their Priest was sentenced to death due to his refusal to renounce his God. The Priest, while in prison, developed a cherished friendship with the jailer’s daughter, and it is said, that she was loyal to Valentine. Valentine, also, converted most of the prisoners while he was in jail, when Emperor Claudius was unable to break the spirit of the Priest, and the priest’s love of his God, he ordered the execution by beheading..
The Roman Priest Valentine’s execution caused great mourning throughout the Roman Empire. The lovers loved, and the poets dreamed, and the jailer’s daughter received a letter. It was written by Valentine, to his sweetheart, in a goodbye note, that was signed, Your Valentine. It is said, Valentine gave the first love letter, or poem if you will, to a sweetheart, and the tradition of expressing your love and devotion through words was born, and signing it, your Valentine, was as well. Some legends say, that the jailers daughter was blind, and the Priest was able to heal her, and she could see, the evening before his death. Other legends say, that one of the men who died with Jesus, was named Valentine, and he took on the Christian faith the evening before he died, and Christ healed the sight of his friend, the jailer’s daughter, who inspired him to love and honour Christ.
The Roman Bishop Valentine was executed on February 14, AD 269 he was burried on the Via Flaminia, where his moment exists today. Relics of Saint Valentine reside in Baltan and Malta.
