[MR] St. Valentine article

[Rowanwald Central]

   From the Catholic online Saint & Angels page (and double-checked with my
copy of the 8th century Usardis' "Martyrologium", reprinted 1568... and if
you think I was enjoying trying to decypher the latin in that funny script -
you'd be right. Go head, argue with my period source.  *grin*  I love having
custody of that book). Anyway, before we start a shooting match, try to
remember that these are only the "universally recognised" Saints named
"Valentine" and there are other, regional ones who the Catholic Church would
not have necessarily listed, but who had local importance.  - Rosine

*****************
St. Valentine d. 470 Feastday: January 7
   Abbot and missionary bishop in Rhaetia (a region in Roman times to the
north of Italy and south of the Danube). He died at Mais, in the modern area
of theTyrol, Austria.

St. Valentine b.? d.270  (feast day Feb 14)
   Valentine was a holy priest in Rome, who, with St. Marius and his family,
assisted the martyrs in the persecution under Claudius II. He was
apprehended, and sent by the emperor to the prefect of Rome, who, on finding
all his promises to make him renounce his faith in effectual, commended him
to be beaten with clubs, and afterwards, to be beheaded, which was executed
on February 14, about the year 270. Pope Julius I is said to have built a
church near Ponte Mole in his memory, which for a long time gave name to the
gate now called Porta del Popolo, formerly, Porta Valetini. The greatest
part of his relics are now in the church of St. Praxedes. His name is
celebrated as that of an illustrious martyr in the sacramentary of St.
Gregory, the Roman Missal of Thomasius, in the calendar of F. Fronto and
that of Allatius, in Bede, Usuard, Ado, Notker and all other martyrologies
on this day. To abolish the heathens lewd superstitious custom of boys
drawing the names of girls, in honor of their goddess Februata Juno, on the
fifteenth of this month, several zealous pastors substituted the names of
saints in billets given on this day.

St. Valentine d. 307 Feastday: May 2
   Bishop of Genoa, Italy, from about 295. Valentine aided monastic
expansion in his era. His relics were discovered in 985.

St. Valentine d. 305  Feastday: July 16
   Bishop of Trier, Germany, and martyr. He was executed during the severe
persecutions of Emperor Diocletian (r. 284-305).

Sts. Thea & Valentina  Feastday: July 25
   Thea was born at Gaza, Palestine. She was arrested with other Christians
during the persecution of Christians under Emperor Maximian and brought
before Firmilian, governor of Palestine, at Caesarea. When she denounced him
for threatening to place her in a brothel, he had her scourged. When a
Christian of Caesarea, Valentina, protested, Firmilian had her dragged to a
pagan altar, and when she kicked over the fire and incense before the altar,
he had her tortured. He then bound Thea and Valentina together and had them
burned to death. Their feast day is July 25.

St. Valentine d. 4th century  Feastday: September 2
   Bishop of Strasbourg (Strassburg), France. The fourth bishop of that see,
he regulated his diocese which was still evolving and maturing in the faith
after initial conversions.

St. Valentine & Hilary  d. 304 Feastday: November 3
   Martyrs beheaded at Viterbo, Italy, during the persecutions under Emperor
Diocletian (r. 284-305). Valentine was a priest and Hilary his deacon.

St. Valentinian d. 500  Feastday: November 3
   Bishop of Salerno, Italy.

St. Valentine  d. 305  Feastday: December 16
   Martyr with a group, including Navalis, Concordius, and Agricola at
Ravenna, Italy. There is some question as to whether they were actually
martyred in that city (as St. Peter Chrysologus wrote that St. Apollinaris
was the only person martyred at Ravenna); It is also possible that they can
be considered synonymous with Valentine martyrs of that same era also
declared to have died in Ravenna.