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Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Nothing is reliably known of St. Valentine except his name and the fact that he died on February 14 in Rome. His story, though, has become the paradigm for the tradition of courtly love.



Today's Random Fact:

There are several legends behind Saint Valentine. One is that in the 1st century AD it is said that Valentine, who was a priest, defied the order of the emperor Claudius and secretly married couples so that the husbands wouldn't have to go to war. Soldiers were sparse at this time so this was a big inconvenience to the emperor.

Another legend is that Valentine refused to sacrifice to pagan gods. Being imprisoned for this, Valentine gave his testimony in prison and through his prayers healed the jailer's daughter who was suffering from blindness. On the day of his execution he left her a note that was signed "Your Valentine."

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Bonus Fact:

On February 14, 1929, seven members of the North Side Gang in Chicago, plus gang collaborators Reinhardt H. Schwimmer and John May, were lined up against the rear inside wall of a garage and executed as part of a Prohibition-era conflict. This brutal gang murder became known as the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre.