As Valentine’s Day rolls around, the catchy but conventional articles about gifts, how to’s, and what to’s start to infiltrate our Facebook feeds, leaving us the option of clicking into it (if you’re taken), or rapidly scrolling by (if you’re single). Sappy cheesiness isn’t all there is to this special day – especially when love told from the perspective of Saint Valentine’s in his day and age was beautiful and valiant. Apart from being the man behind the name, Saint Valentine was the epitome of courage due to his persistent belief in love. In today’s world, him and his presence behind the day is too often casted aside and forgotten. So who was Saint Valentine, and why is he so important?
The significance of Saint Valentine can be traced back to the Roman emperor Claudius II, a highly militarized leader who issued a decree outlawing marriage in order to boost his national military league. Young men were coerced to join and abandon their lovers behind to fulfill their military duties. Reluctant to accept these unreasonable circumstances, Saint Valentine sought to restore faith in love by performing wedding ceremonies in secret. Needless to say, he was convicted, and eventually beheaded on the fourteenth day of February. During his imprisonment, it was told that Saint Valentine had fallen in love with the daughter of his jailer. His final letter written to her was signed off with the words: “From your Valentine”.
Saint Valentine’s sacrificial contribution to what is now known as Valentine’s Day serves as a stirring reminder that love itself prevails, even when our circumstances do not allow it.
Artworks by Gillian Taylor