February 14th: St Valentine

Here are 10 facts about Saint Valentine:

1. Actually nobody knows all that much about the life of St Valentine. There could be as many as three St Valentines, all celebrated on the same day - an African martyr, a Roman priest, and a bishop of Terni. The stories of the latter two are so similar that they could well be the same person.
2. The miracle he is known for is restoring the sight of the blind daughter of the judge who was holding him prisoner. The judge was so impressed that he and his household all converted to Christianity.
3. The emperor Claudius was not so easily persuaded. Although he took a liking to Bishop Valentine at first, he grew angry when Valentine tried to convert him - so angry that he had him executed on the Via Flamina.
4. On the day of his execution, the saint is said to have left a note for the girl whose blindness he'd cured, signing it "Your Valentine."
5. According to legend, Valentine's original crime for which he was imprisoned was not so much preaching the gospel but marrying Christian couples so that the men would not have to go to war. As there was a shortage of single men to fight at the time, this was an irritation to the emperor.
6. The name Valentine means "containing valour".
7. There are no churches in England dedicated to St Valentine.
8. The flower-crowned skull of St. Valentine is on display in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome.
9. There is nothing in early Christian writing to connect Valentine with lovers - this connection is thought to have been invented by Geoffrey Chaucer in the fourteenth century.
10. As well as lovers, Valentine is the patron saint of Bee keepers and is invoked against fainting, plague and epilepsy.