Saint Valentine, a 3rd-century Roman saint, is commemorated in Western Christianity on February 14 and in Eastern Orthodoxy on July 6. He was a clergyman who ministered to persecuted Christians in the Roman Empire and was martyred on February 14, which has been observed as the Feast of Saint Valentine since at least the eighth century.
Valentine is also the patron saint of Terni, epilepsy, and beekeepers. His relics are kept in various churches, including the Church and Catacombs of San Valentino in Rome and the Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland.
Interestingly, there are at least two different Saint Valentines mentioned in early martyrologies, and some sources suggest that there may be a single person behind the different accounts. The Catholic Church continues to recognize him as a saint, listing him in the February 14 entry in the Roman Martyrology.
Over time, Saint Valentine’s feast day has become associated with a tradition of courtly love, and he is now celebrated as a symbol of love and romance.
