Roman priest born in the middle of the III Century, he lived in the capital city of the Empire under the reign of Claudius II. His virtue and wisdom helped him to gain Christians´ veneration, as well as, pagans´. Due to his great charity he was called father of the poor.
St. Valentine also became patron of lovers because when Christian religion was persecuted, he secretly married couples under the ritual of the Church.
For these reasons he became famous in the roman environment, the Emperor himself wanted to meet him personally. St. Valentine showed up to the interview, and also the Emperor, an attorney and Calfurnio, Prefect of the city; all of them disapproved St. Valentine’s words in favor of the Catholic faith.
The Prefect had a blind daughter and when he heard these words, he defied him to heal his daughter and the girl miraculously recovered the sight. He was tortured and decapitated in the year 268, under the government of Claudius the Gothic, because he converted the Prefect and his family after healing his birth blind daughter. St. Valentine’s mortal rests are kept at the Basilica named after him in the Italian city of Terni.
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