When Valentine's Day comes to mind what do you think of? Love? Candy? Romance? To most people, yes. But, the history behind Valentine’s day isn't as romantic as it seems.
In the 3rd century, Emperor Claudius persecuted the church because the priests conducted marriages. He believed that men who were not married fought better than the men who were married; instead of fighting, a married soldier would worry more about the safety of his family than about winning in battle. In those days, polygamy was encouraged by the government, but there were still some dedicated to the Christian Faith and wished to be married..
Valentine, a Roman priest, was a huge believer in the Christian faith. So, he secretly married people because the loved the idea of one man and one woman having a sacred bond and being dedicated to each other for the rest of their lives. At first, Valentine was able to marry lovers in secret, but after a short period of time Valentine was caught defying the emperor's laws..
In 269 AD, Valentine was sentenced to a 3 part execution; he was stoned, beaten, and finally beheaded because of his beliefs. The man who imprisoned Valentine was Asterius, who had a daughter who was blind from birth; Valentine and the daughter became friends. After Valentine prayed over her, taught her of his faith, and gave her medicine in the hopes of healing her eyes. Before his death, Valentine’s last words were on a note written to Asterius’ daughter which read, “From your Valentine.” Legend says that after Valentine’s death, Asterius returned home to find that something miraculous had occurred; his daughter was healed and could see! This miracle secured his sainthood. And today, we refer to this priest as St. Valentine. On February 14th, we celebrate his life and his dedication to love.
After his death, he was known as the patron saint of lovers for the marriages he conducted and his strict adherence to his beliefs -- even to the point of death.
