Though he really did exist, you may be surprised to know in 1969, the Roman Catholic Church removed St. Valentine (Roman Valentinus) from the General Roman Calendar, because so little is known about him. However, the church still recognizes him as a saint, listing him in the February 14 spot of Roman Martyrolgy.
During his second imprisonment, Valentine also known as San Valentino, was given the death sentence.
On the day of his execution, he left a letter for his jailer’s daughter … signed, your Valentine.
Valentine was at that point, the former Bishop of Terni, an important town of Umbria, in central Italy along with Narnia and Amelia.
Previously while under house arrest of Judge Asterius, Valentine was discussing the validity of Jesus.
The judge immediately put Valentine and his faith to the test -Valentine was presented with the judge’s adopted blind daughter and told to restore her sight. If he succeeded, the judge vowed to do anything Valentine asked.
Valentine while praying to God, placed his hands on her eyes, Valentine restored the child’s vision and she was even able to read, it was to her to whom, he left the letter.
Then the judge along with his family and entire 44 member household became baptized.
The now faithful judge, also freed all of his Christian inmates.
Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire occurred intermittently over a period of over two centuries. Valentine ministered to Christians, who were persecuted there. Valentine was originally arrested for converting people to Christianity.
Valentine was later re-arrested for continuing to evangelize and was sent to the prefect of Rome Severely beaten and stoned, the priest did not die and was brought before Emperor Claudius II.
Rather than beg for his life, he tried to convert the Emperor to Christianity! That did not happen and due to his persistence he was ordered to be beaten with clubs and then beheaded. He was executed outside the Flaminian Gate February 14, 269.
Although not much of Valentine’s life is reliably known, and whether or not the stories involve two different saints by the same name is also not officially decided, it is highly agreed that Valentine was martyred and then buried on the Via Flaminia to the north of Rome.
According to the popular identity, and what is believed to be the first representation of Valentine.
However, the Nuremberg Chronicle, Valentine was a Roman priest martyred during the reign of Claudius II. Other depictions of Valentine’s arrests tell that he secretly married couples so husbands wouldn’t have to go to war (soldiers were sparse at this time so this was a big inconvenience to the emperor) and aiding Christians persecuted by Claudius II in Rome.
Both acts were considered serious crimes. During the reign of Claudius II , much of the Roman Empire that had fallen away was reclaimed, but about as much was also lost. A relationship between the saint and emperor began to grow, until Valentine attempted to convince Claudius II to to embrace Christianity.
Claudius II became enraged and sentenced Valentine to death, commanding him to renounce his faith or be beaten with clubs and beheaded.
As Roman fortunes rose in the west, they fell in the east. Gaul had broken away previously and tried to set up a rival power under its own line of Gallic emperors and Claudius II sent Roman forces to reclaim at least southern Gaul east of the Rhone River.
Hispania (Spain) had fallen to the Goths though they had finally shaken off their rule and pledged loyalty to Rome once again, which was certainly a great benefit and left Claudius II well placed to launch a more ambitious campaign to restore Roman rule to the whole of Gaul.
However, he was then preoccupied by the Gothic invasion and even more alarming was the news from the east where the famous Queen Zenobia had come to power (in what is now Syria) and advanced as far as Ankara in Turkey!
The following year her forces conquered Egypt, cutting Rome off from its most vital source of grain. Obviously, that was a situation that left little time for dreams of Gallic conquest.
The first priority of the Emperor was to secure Italy and defeat Zenobia, to prevent food shortages in Rome that would be ruinous. However, before any of that could be done, Claudius II had departed this life.
Having no children of his own, Claudius II was succeeded by his brother who became Emperor Quintillus. Emperor Quintillus was brother to the grandfather of Constantine.
Though the extant accounts of the martyrdoms of the two listed saints are of a late date one a Bishop of Terni, the other a Bishop of Rome, a common nucleus of fact may underlie the two accounts and they may refer to a single person.
Whoever he was, Valentine did really exist, because archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to St. Valentine and secondly, in 496 AD Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration in honor of his martyrdom.