Happy Valentine’s Day, a holiday associated more with romantic love than with the third century saint known for restoring a girl’s sight and leaving her a note on the day of his execution signed, “Your Valentine.”
Another legend concerning the saint says that Valentine, defying Roman emperor Claudius II Gothicus, secretly married couples to spare their husbands from war.
It is likely that, although St. Valentine of Rome was a martyr rather than a romantic figure, his Feb. 14 feast day was meant to replace the pagan holiday of Lupercalia, an ancient Roman fertility festival celebrated on Feb. 15.
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