Saint Valentine was a priest and physician in Rome in the 3rd century and was imprisoned for ministering to Christians persecuted by the Roman Emperor.  According to legend, Valentine converted the jailer by restoring sight to the jailer’s daughter.  Before his execution, Valentine wrote a farewell letter to her and signed it “Your Valentine.” Pope Gelasius I in 496 declared February 14 as the Feast of Saint Valentine.

There are several theories about how the Feast of Saint Valentine became Valentine’s Day, a celebration of romantic love.  Some believe the Romans had a mid-February custom where boys picked the names of girls in honor of the fertility goddess, Febrata Juno.  Another theory is that the custom of sending Valentines on February 14 comes from the belief that birds begin to find a mate on that date.  By 1477 the English had the custom of sweethearts writing love letters to each other on this day. Another tradition was to pin a bay leaf to your pillow on Valentine’s Eve in the hope of seeing your future mate in your dreams.

Today the Catholic Church considers Saint Valentine to be the patron saint of happy marriages and love.  Here at Rosa Mystica Medals, we have a Saint Valentine medal in our collection.  If you are interested in our Saint Valentine medal please visit the “Mens Saints/Valentine” section of our website.