Who was Saint Valentine?
What comes to mind when you think of Valentine's Day? Chocolate? Flowers? Hearts? Pretty pieces of paper? Almost one billion Valentine's Day cards are sent to loved ones on this holiday, second only to the number of Christmas cards sent. There's no doubt that this is a major commercialized holiday in many countries around the world, but the origin of Valentine's Day is a lot more valuable than a printed greeting card.
The Legend of Valentine
Valentine's Day is named after a Christian priest who lived in third-century Rome—a man called Valentine. Historical records tell us that there may have been three men named Valentine that lived during this time, all of whom died as Christian martyrs. So while the exact details of these "Valentines" might be hard to pinpoint, there IS some general consensus about some of the events in their lives.
Valentine lived during the reign of Claudius II (AD 268 to 270), also known as Claudius the Cruel, when the Roman Empire was declining. Soldiers were weary from fighting in battles, discontented from their prolonged absence from their families, and were deserting the military. Claudius II decided that single men would make better soldiers, so he banned soldiers from getting married.
A Follower of God
One version of Valentine's story says that, despite Claudius II's law that soldiers couldn't marry, Valentine continued to perform weddings for young soldiers who were in love and wanted to be married. Marriage is instituted by God, not defined by the government (Mark 10:6-8). Since Valentine was a priest, he may have desired to perform marriage ceremonies for soldiers as a way to stand for God's good design of marriage, love, and family—helping these young men remain sexually pure.
Another version of the story says that Valentine helped Christians escape persecution from the Romans, making him a political enemy of the State. Regardless of the exact "crime(s)" he was accused of, the end result was that Valentine was arrested and persecuted for breaking man's law to obey God's law.
Finally, it is believed that Valentine befriended his jailer's blind daughter. The jailer knew that Valentine was a Christian and mockingly challenged him that if there was a good, loving God, why did He leave his daughter blind? So Valentine prayed for her, and she was miraculously healed of her blindness. The jailer and her family then committed their lives to Christ!
Some sources say that Valentine also got the opportunity to appear before Claudius the Cruel and share with him about Christ. Claudius ultimately hardened his heart against the gospel of Christ and condemned Valentine to death. Legend says that Valentine would cut out heart shaped notes of encouragement to give to fellow Christians and would sign them "love, your Valentine," which could be the origin of giving traditional Valentine's Day notes today.
The Greatest Act of Love
Valentine was executed on February 14 in AD 270. Originally, this day was designated to celebrate the Roman gods of romantic love. But when Valentine was killed, Christians began to acknowledge this day as a remembrance and honoring of the institution of marriage that God designed, as shown through the life of Valentine.
Many years after his death, Valentine was canonized as a "saint" by the Roman Catholic Church, and the church declared February 14 as a special feast day to remember him. In Roman Catholic theology, the saints are in heaven. In the Bible, the saints are on earth (1 Corinthians 1:2). Valentine was a man who loved God and others—even to the point of giving up his life. John 15:13 says that there is no greater love than when someone gives up his life for a friend. Valentine demonstrated this type of love.
Celebrating Valentine's Day
"One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. —Romans 14:5
As the Bible teaches, we can choose which holidays we celebrate and which we don't, as long as we can do so in good conscience. Christians are free to celebrate Valentine's Day if they wish—or don't. Whatever each person chooses, they ought to respect others' convictions about how they choose to observe holidays.
Celebrating your loved ones on Valentine's Day is a perfectly acceptable way to recognize the day. And now that we know more about Saint Valentine's legacy, may we suggest another way to acknowledge February 14?
One way we could celebrate Valentine's Day is by supporting Christians who are undergoing similar types of persecution for their faith. Maybe they've been silenced from speaking the truth, shunned by their family or community, imprisoned, beaten, or even killed for following God's way. Sharing the testimony of those who have been martyred, supporting persecuted Christians living abroad with letters or care packages, and praying for those who are sharing the gospel where Christianity is illegal are all ways we can support those doing God's work in dangerous places.
Hebrews 13:3 says, "Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body." When we pray for and support other Christians who are being persecuted for the name of Christ, we continue the heart of what Saint Valentine achieved for God's Kingdom.
RESOURCES: 1. "Who Was Saint Valentine?" YouTube, 2025, youtu.be/I3JG09TvXAM?si=ygc7EdDiYItYxFDM. [Accessed 7 Feb. 2025]. 2. "Valentine's Day: The History of Saint Valentine | Drive thru History with Dave Stotts." YouTube, 2024, youtu.be/PKg-49tb3cM?si=UwkhQY8O1HBYt16B. [Accessed 7 Feb. 2025].
ALSO SEE:
- Can we talk about Valentine's Day?
- What does the Bible say about persecution?
- Why does God love us?
- Suffering for Joy
- What are holy days?
- How to Love
- What does the Bible say about falling in love?
- Who was Saint Valentine? (from What Would You Say)
- The History of St. Valentine's Day (from Drive Thru History with Dave Stotts)
- Voice of the Martyrs (Support Persecuted Christians)
TL;DR
Valentine's Day is named after a Christian priest who lived in third-century Rome—a man called Valentine. Historical records tell us that there may have been three men named Valentine that lived during this time, all of whom died as Christian martyrs. So while the exact details of these "Valentines" might be hard to pinpoint, there IS some general consensus about some of the events in their lives. It's believed that Valentine was a priest who lived during the third century in Rome. He was likely arrested because he illegally officiated marriages for young soldiers and was also helping persecuted Christians. Another part of the legend says that, while in prison, he befriended the jailer's daughter who was blind. He prayed that God would heal her, and she was healed, which converted the jailer and his family to Christianity. He was executed on February 14 in AD 270 and, in time, that day was declared a holiday to remember his life, sacrifice, and love for God and others.
Writer: Hanna S.
Hanna loves spending time with kids and teens. She enjoys being detectives with them to investigate God's Word to discover truths to answer any questions. She is the co-author of a newly published apologetics curriculum for children and teaches one online for highschoolers-adults. To learn more about her ministry you can visit networkerstec.com. For fun, she likes to play Ultimate Frisbee, read historical fiction, and paint.
