biography
| sex:
| male
|
| lived:
| (?–c.269)
|
| biography:
| Roman priest and Christian martyr, said to have been executed during the persecution inaugurated under Claudius II, the Goth; but claims have been made for another St Valentine, supposedly Bishop of Turni, taken 60 mi to Rome for martyrdom. The custom of sending lover's greetings on 14 February (feast day) has no connection with either saint, but dates from the later Middle Ages, when it was believed that this day marked the beginning of the mating season for birds. |
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