✝ Patron Saint of the Day
14 February
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St. Valentine of Rome
d. c. 269
Biography
A priest or bishop in Rome during the reign of Claudius II. He was arrested for performing Christian marriages for soldiers, who were forbidden to wed. He was beaten with clubs and beheaded on the Via Flaminia. His association with romantic love developed in the Middle Ages through Chaucer and courtly tradition.
Legend & Quote
While imprisoned, he healed the blind daughter of his jailer. Before his execution, he wrote her a letter signed 'From your Valentine' — the origin of the Valentine tradition.