Did Valentine really secretly marry lovers? OCU debunked myths about February 14
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On February 14, the world, in particular in Ukraine, celebrates Valentine’s Day – the holiday of all lovers. The most common legend about the origin of this holiday concerns the priest Valentine, who lived in the Italian city of Terni in the 3rd century. He allegedly secretly married lovers, despite the emperor’s ban, for which he was executed. However, there are no historical facts of his patronage, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine reports. The main myths about February 14 were debunked on the OCU Facebook page. Is Valentine’s Day a church holiday? Photo: ArturVerkhovetskiy/Depositphotos OCU emphasizes: despite the mention of the saint in the name, Valentine’s Day is not a church holiday. “Saint Valentine has the same relationship with lovers as any other saint. At the same time, saints named Valentine canonized by the Church do not have facts in their lives that are in any way related to popular legends about the “patronage of lovers” , “prohibited weddings”, etc., writes the OCU. What does the Orthodox Church celebrate on February 14? On February 14, the Orthodox Church commemorates 10 saints according to its calendar, among whom are the martyr Tryphon, the martyr Perpetua and others. Also, February 14 this year is the eve of the Ascension of the Lord. On this day, the Roman Catholic Church honors the memory of Saints Cyril and Methodius – Slavic enlighteners and patrons of Europe. And in the “Roman Martyrology” (this is not a general church calendar, but a book where local days of remembrance are indicated) on February 14, the memory of ten more saints is commemorated, among which is St. Valentine. At least three Saints of Valentine are mentioned in the martyrologies, the OCU says. Two of these martyrs suffered in Rome in the second half of the third century, and both were buried on the Flaminian road, but at different distances from the city. One of them was the bishop of the city of Interamna (now the city of Terni in Italy) – probably this Valentine is mentioned in the context of Valentine’s Day. “He became famous for the miracles of healing, thanks to which he converted high-ranking pagans to the faith of Christ, for which he was executed in 269,” says the OCU. Another martyr, Valentine, was a priest in Rome – there is no more information about him. And about the third martyr Valentine, we only know that he suffered in Carthage, the Church adds. In the 9th century, these Saint Valentines are mentioned separately in the martyrologies. But later, probably, the lives of these saints were mixed up, and one Saint Valentine is already mentioned in medieval documents. He became the hero of Yakov Voraginskyi’s “Golden Legend” – a collection of Christian legends and author’s lives of saints (hagiographies), which became a bestseller of the late Middle Ages in Western culture. Read also: How artists love: what do you know about the intimate lyrics of Ukrainian poets and poetesses? TEST Did Saint Valentine really secretly marry couples? According to a well-known legend, St. Valentine “married couples in love despite the ban of the cruel emperor Claudius II”, because the ruler believed that men who did not have wives and children would be better warriors. However, OCU says that this legend contains a significant error in the chronology of events. “During the lifetime of real saints with the name Valentine, in the 3rd century, there was no special rite of church wedding,” the Church assures. At that time, in the Roman Empire, marriage was concluded according to civil laws, and Christians married with the blessing of the bishop. Also, the ban on the marriage of soldiers of the regular Roman army, which existed for 180 years, was canceled by the emperor Septimius Severus back in 197 – even before the times described by the legend. “Thus, despite the use of the name of St. Valentine, the mythology of the modern secular celebration has nothing in common either with the facts of history or with church tradition. The Lord calls all the faithful to sincere and sacrificial love not only on a certain day, but throughout their lives. And we sincerely wish that you loved and showed their Christian love not only on certain days of the year, but always. Because true love never fades,” says the OCU. Read also: 4 myths about Valentine’s Day that are still believed
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