Who was Saint Valentine and why is 14 February celebrated as Valentine's Day?

Is it a purely commercial event, or simply a day awaited and carefully planned by many to surprise their partner? Whether we like it or not, every 14th of February is a red-letter day that reminds us to celebrate St Valentine, the patron saint of lovers. The origin of this date, however, has little to do with the love that dominates it nowadays.

Valentinus was a Roman doctor who became a priest and gained much popularity during the reign of Claudius II (268-270 BC). This emperor, in fact, decided to ban marriages for young men because he believed that men without family burdens made better soldiers, as they were less tied down. Valentinus, however, thought that this decree was unjust, and so, defying the emperor, dared to hold secret ceremonies for couples in love. Once this initiative reached the ears of the emperor, he summoned Valentinus to his palace, as the priest enjoyed great prestige in Rome. At that moment, the priest took advantage of the moment to proselytise Christianity. Claudius II is said to have initially taken interest in what was presented to him, but the army and the Roman governor, named Calpurnius, persuaded him to put these ideas out of his mind.

For this reason, under external pressure, the emperor ordered Valentinus to be imprisoned. The officer Asterius, who was in charge of putting him behind bars, wanted to embarrass and ridicule Valentinus, so he challenged him to restore the sight of his daughter Julia, who was born blind. It is said that the priest accepted the challenge and, astonishingly, managed to restore the young girl's sight. This miracle moved Asterius and his family, who converted to Christianity. Despite his deed, however, Valentinus remained imprisoned and Emperor Claudius eventually ordered him to be martyred on 14 February 270, making him one of three martyrs executed during the Roman Empire.

After Valentinus' death, Julia, in a gesture of gratitude, planted an almond tree with pink blossoms by his grave, hence the tree is considered a symbol of enduring love and friendship.

Around two centuries later, Pope Gelasius I designated 14 February 494 as the first official St Valentine's Day, which was marked in the traditional liturgical calendar and celebrated by the Catholic Church for the next fifteen centuries.

In 1969, however, under the pontificate of Paul VI, St Valentine's Day was removed from the calendar. Given that the holiday was already well established, and remains so, 14 February is still popularly known as St Valentine's day, the day when love is celebrated all over the world.