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ST.
VALENTINE |
Also known as Valentine of Terni, Valentine of Rome
As we know there are various accounts as to whom St
Valentine was and it number of different
legends,
some of them have a lot of similarity.
Confusion wish surrounding who is exactly St
Valentine was? According to the Catholic
Encyclopedia, at least three Saint Valentines are
mentioned in the early metrologies under the date of
14 February. One is described as a priest at Rome,
another as a Bishop of Interamna (now Terni in
Italy) and the other lived and died in Africa
The Bishop of Interamna is most widely accepted as
the basis of the modern saint. He was an early
Christian martyr who lived in northern Italy in the
third century and was put to death on 14 February
around 270AD on the orders of emperor Claudius the
Second for flouting the ban on Christianity.
However, though Valentine of Terni and Valentine of
Rome have separate entries in martyrologies and
biographies, most scholars believe they are the same
person.
The first of the Saints was considered to be a Roman
Priest or Bishop of the Christian faith, who was
also a physician and practiced his trade from his
house. He was said to cure the sick of ailments,
giving them special medicines or ointments. He was
said to have done this out of the goodness of his
heart sometimes refusing any payment whatsoever or
accepting a loaf of bread or whatever could be
spared by the sick. One Day the jailer bought his
daughter to see Valentine, so as to see if she could
have her sight gained and Valentine was said to have
rubbed an ointment on her eyes and told the jailer
to bring her back once a week to have the ointment
rubbed on her eyes.
Every night he would pray under the dark of night
for the sick to be cured. As a result of his beliefs
he was arrested and thrown in jail. The jailer who
could not do a thing went to see Valentine moments
before he was to be executed at which point
Valentine asked for a piece of paper and pen on the
piece of paper it is said he was suppose to have
written "from your Valentine" and inside the paper
also was a blossom of which it is said gave the girl
her sight.
The second of the Saints was said to have been a
priest also, but, that he was secretly carrying out
marriages of young lovers which under the Emperor
Claudius II's laws at the time was forbidden, the
reason being that Claudius did not want the men
marrying because they must be able to concentrate on
war and not their loved one.
Which of this stories is true, we don’t know, but
today we still celebrating St Valentine's day by
exchanging gifts such as cards, candy, flowers, etc.
The reason why we celebrate it on February 14 is
this was the day on which it is said that St
Valentine was executed.
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