St. Valentine: Patron Saint of Love, Engaged Couples and Happy Marriages - Life, Feast Day and Prayer
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Saint Valentine Receiving a Rosary from the Virgin, David Teniers III, 1677. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Long before February 14 meant cards and chocolates, it was the feast of St. Valentine, a priest who gave his life for Christ in third-century Rome. Little is known for certain about him, but his name has been linked with love for more than six hundred years. He is the patron saint of engaged couples and happy marriages.
Quick Facts
Feast day: February 14
Lived: Third century, Rome and central Italy
Died: Martyred about 269, on the Via Flaminia outside Rome
Canonized: Before the formal process existed; listed in the Roman Martyrology
Patron of: Love, engaged couples, happy marriages, young people, beekeepers, those with epilepsy
Symbols: Red martyr's vestments, a sword, birds, roses, a heart
His Life
The 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia lists at least two martyrs named Valentine honored on February 14: a priest of Rome and a bishop of Interamna, the modern city of Terni, about sixty miles from Rome. Both are said to have been buried along the Via Flaminia, and many historians think they may be the same man remembered in two places. The details of his life come from accounts written long after his death, but the core of the story has been told for centuries.
Valentine lived during the reign of the emperor Claudius II, known as Claudius Gothicus, when Christians in Rome could be arrested and executed for their faith. As a priest, Valentine helped persecuted Christians, and later legends say he secretly married young couples at a time when the emperor wanted young men unmarried so they would make better soldiers. That story became popular centuries later, but it fits the reason so many couples have turned to him.
The oldest accounts tell that Valentine was arrested and brought before an official named Asterius. While under guard in his house, Valentine spoke to him about Christ, the light of the world. Asterius tested him by bringing his adopted daughter, who was blind, and asking Valentine to heal her. Valentine laid his hands on her eyes and prayed, and her sight was restored. Asterius and his whole household were baptized. Later versions add that before his death Valentine sent the girl a farewell note signed "from your Valentine," though this detail does not appear in the earliest sources.
When the emperor learned of these conversions, he ordered Valentine to give up his faith. Valentine refused and instead urged the emperor to turn to Christ. He was beaten and then beheaded on the Via Flaminia around the year 269. Pope Julius I is said to have built a church over his grave, and in the Middle Ages his relics were honored in several places, including Rome, Terni and, later, Dublin.
The link between St. Valentine and romantic love seems to have started in the late Middle Ages, when the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer wrote of birds choosing their mates on "Saint Valentine's Day." Because so little is known of his life, his feast was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969, and February 14 is now the memorial of Sts. Cyril and Methodius. St. Valentine remains in the Roman Martyrology, and Catholics may still honor him on this day.
Legacy
St. Valentine reminds us that real love is not sentiment but self-gift, even unto death. His willingness to die rather than deny Christ points couples to the love that lies behind every faithful marriage. Engaged and married couples still ask his prayers for lasting, holy love.
Prayer to St. Valentine
St. Valentine, faithful priest and martyr, you loved Christ more than your own life. Pray for all engaged couples and for husbands and wives, that their love may be patient, kind and faithful. Help those who are seeking a spouse to trust in God's plan, and teach us all that true love means giving ourselves for the good of others. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Original prayer by Daily Catholic Prayers. You may print and share it freely.
How to Celebrate His Feast Day
Pray the prayer above with your spouse, fiancé or for a couple you love.
Write a card that includes a short prayer or blessing.
Go to Mass together as a couple or family.
Pray for a marriage that is struggling.
Remember Sts. Cyril and Methodius too, whose memorial falls on the same day.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When is the feast day of St. Valentine?
February 14. He is no longer on the General Roman Calendar, but he remains in the Roman Martyrology and may be honored that day.
What is St. Valentine the patron saint of?
Love, engaged couples, happy marriages, young people, beekeepers and people with epilepsy.
Was St. Valentine a real person?
Yes. Early records honor a martyr named Valentine buried on the Via Flaminia, though many details of his life come from later legends.
Why is St. Valentine connected with romance?
The connection began in the late Middle Ages, especially through the poetry of Geoffrey Chaucer.
Where are St. Valentine's relics?
Relics attributed to him are honored in several churches, including in Rome, Terni and Whitefriar Street Church in Dublin.
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Teresa
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