Accessed 11 Feb. 2025. "SAINT VALENTINE. Late 3rd Century Christian Martyr. Woodcut from an Alsatian Plague Sheet, C1470-80, Invoking Saint Valentine to Protect the Purchaser from the Plague." ...

It’s a far cry from the real St. Valentine, an early Christian martyr who was bludgeoned and beheaded for his faith. So how did a saint with such a gruesome death come to be associated with a ...

Two bishops are associated with Saint Valentine and both were martyrs "who died on behalf of the Christian church in the face of persecution from the Romans," he said. One of the legends ...

This saint relic also holds little interest ... belonged to a different Christian martyr called Valentine,” Verde says. “I have been to Terni to see the real body of St. Valentine.” ...

The holiday is named after Saint Valentine, a martyr from early Christianity. However, there were several saints named Valentine, making it difficult to determine which one is the true namesake.

The history of Valentine's Day is mushy. It's been linked to a 12th-century poem about birds mating, the Christian-martyr-turned-Saint Valentine and a deadly fertility ritual in ancient Rome ...

Or is the history darker, marked by Roman bacchanalia, martyrs and lies ... the Catholic Church in 1969 to remove St. Valentine as the primary saint celebrated on Feb. 14. Now, it’s officially ...