Jan 9, 2019
Who Was the Real St. Valentine? The Many Myths Behind the Inspiration for Valentine's Day
There were multiple St. Valentines (including decapitated ones), but it was a medieval poet who first established the holiday's romantic tradition.
Livia Gershon
On February 14, when we share chocolates, special dinners, or doily cards with our loved ones, we do it in the name of Saint Valentine. But who was this saint of romance?
Search the internet, and you can find plenty of stories about him—or them. One Saint Valentine was supposedly a Roman priest who performed secret weddings against the wishes of the authorities in the third century. Imprisoned in the home of a noble, he healed his captor’s blind daughter, causing the whole household to convert to Christianity and sealing his fate. Before being tortured and decapitated on February 14, he sent the girl a note signed “Your Valentine.â€
https://www.history.com/news/real-st-valentine-medieval