Roman Orgy, Torture and Execution: The True Story of Saint Valentine. Who is Saint Valentine - is it true that he married men and was gay himself? Was Saint Valentine gay

Valentine's Day is a common holiday around the world, and it is celebrated on February 14th. They also call it Valentine's Day, but not many people know who the celebration was named after and what its history is. In fact, there are several versions that provide explanations for these questions.

Who is Saint Valentine?

The Roman saint of the third century, who is considered the patron saint of all lovers, is called Saint Valentine. There is practically no information about this person in the history, which caused the appearance of various rumors regarding this person. There are historians who believe that Saint Valentine is two people at once. The Pope included his name in the list of respected people, whose deeds are known only to the Lord.

Understanding who Saint Valentine is, it is worth noting that in some sources one can find a description of the rhinestone of three saints: one was a priest, the second was a bishop, and very little is known about the third and, judging by indirect data, he died in torment in the African province of Rome . A certain similarity in the legends concerning the first two Valentines leads many people to believe that they were representations of the same person.

Saint Valentine - the story of life

In the Catholic Church, Valentine is not on the list of saints who must be remembered at the liturgies, so his memory is honored only at the local level in a number of dioceses. In the Orthodox Church, St. Valentine of Interamna is remembered on August 12, and Roman on July 19.

1. Valentin Interamnsky was born in 176 in a patrician family. Even in his youth, he converted to Christianity, and in 197 he was appointed bishop. In 270, at the invitation of the philosopher Kraton, the saint arrived in Rome and healed a boy who had a severely twisted spine. This made other people believe in God and accept Christianity. The mayor forced Valentine to renounce his faith, but he refused and accepted a painful death on February 14, 273.
2. Who is Saint Valentine of Rome is not known much. He accepted death because of his healing abilities.

Why is Saint Valentine famous?

More often, thinking about the patron saint of all lovers, people point to Bishop Valentine, who was born in the city of Ternii. There are many conflicting legends about this person.

1. There is evidence that St. Valentine, the patron saint of lovers, when he was still a young man, supported people, for example, taught them to show their feelings and become happy. He helped write letters of confession, reconciled people and gave spouses flowers and gifts.
2. Saint Valentine married men and women, but, according to legend, Emperor Julius Claudius II did not allow soldiers to fall in love and marry, but the bishop violated his ban.
3. The saint was sent to prison and there he fell in love with the blind daughter of his own executioner and helped her heal. There is evidence that the executioner himself asked the bishop to save his daughter from illness, and she then fell in love with her savior. Continuing to learn the story - who is Saint Valentine, it is worth mentioning such an interesting fact that before the execution he gave his beloved a note signed "Your Valentine". It is believed that “valentines” came from here.
4. The day of the execution coincided with a Roman holiday in honor of the goddess of love, Juno. In Rome, this day was considered the beginning of spring.

Was Saint Valentine gay?

As already mentioned, due to the lack of information, various rumors arose. These include the fact that Saint Valentine is gay. Such a rumor appeared due to the fact that the emperor Claudius II allegedly issued an order that men fit for military service could not marry among themselves, as this would negatively affect the morale of the army. The bishop, who himself was a homosexual, violated the order and married the guys to each other, for which he was executed.

The truth about Saint Valentine indicates that he was, and an interpretation of the emperor's law, mere fantasy. In fact, Claudius was a reformer who made the Roman army strong and regular. He said that warriors should not be married, as they would be afraid to go into battle so that the family would not lose their breadwinner. Since the saint blessed Christian values, marriage was sacred to him, and he held services for marriage, so the question regarding whom Saint Valentine married does not apply to homosexual couples.

How did Saint Valentine die?

There are two versions regarding the death of the patron saint of all lovers:

1. According to the very first and well-known version, the priest ended up in prison because he helped Christians and held the wedding of young Christian couples. When Valentine wanted to convert Claudius to the true faith, he sentenced him to death. The saint was stoned, but they did not injure him in any way, so it was decided to behead him. There is no exact date of execution, but there are three options: 269, 270 and 273.
2. There is another version regarding who executed St. Valentine. So, he was sentenced to house arrest, and the warden was the judge, who began to talk with the priest on a religious topic. To resolve the dispute, the judge brought the blind daughter and said that he would fulfill any wish of Valentine if he returned the girl's sight. As a result, the Saint fulfilled his obligations and demanded that the judge renounce paganism and accept Christianity. After that, Valentine was released, but there was a second arrest, and then he was sent to the emperor, who ordered his execution, according to the scenario described in the first version. In this version, there is an exact date of death - February 14, 269.

Saint Valentine in Christianity

If we consider the versions of the origin of the custom to celebrate Valentine's Day, then they have pagan roots, so the church considers this holiday superfluous. In addition, it is important to note that Saint Valentine is not mentioned in the Bible and other sacred books for Christians. The clergy assure that sincere love for the Lord will help a person say goodbye to all the customs associated with the glorification of false gods. Many religious scholars also believe that Valentine's Day is a commercial ploy.

Saint Valentine in Orthodoxy

In the Orthodox Church there are testimonies of three Saint Valentines: Interamna, Roman and Dorostol. It is believed that the Orthodox Saint Valentine is Interamne, but if you look, all the legends known about this person are taken from all three biographies of saints with the same names. Religious scholars assure that this is just a legend and fiction that the priest, allegedly violating the ban, helped couples get married. In the church calendar on February 14 there is no mark on the need to glorify St. Valentine.

Saint Valentine for Catholics

It has already been mentioned that the Roman Catholic Church speaks of three Valentines, and two of them are probably the same person. It is worth noting that the liturgical commemoration of the saint was replaced by the commemoration of saints. This is due to the fact that during the reform of the church calendar, many considerations were taken into account, for example, it was decided to indicate in the calendar the saints who have a genuine church-wide significance, while the Catholic Saint Valentine does not have this. Summing up, we can say that Catholics do not have such a holiday as Valentine's Day.

Saint Valentine in Islam

It is clear that there is no such patron of lovers in Islam, but this is a religion of true love and cooperation in good intentions, therefore Muslims recognize holidays that help bring people closer together who sincerely love Allah and each other. It should be noted that the priest himself St. Valentine and the holiday in Islam is not welcome. Religion says that people should express their feelings to each other every day, and not just once a year.

Legend of Saint Valentine

Over the years, many legends have arisen associated with the patron saint of lovers. The story of the execution, in which Emperor Claudius II and Saint Valentine took part, was told above, but there are other legends:

1. One of the legends tells how Valentine married a Christian woman and a Roman centurion, who were mortally ill. By doing this, he violated the decree of the emperor. It is believed that after this the saint was called the patron saint of lovers.
2. There is an interesting legend that describes the meeting of Valentine and a couple of lovers who had a big fight. At the will of the priest, a pair of doves began to circle around them, which amused and helped to forget about the quarrel.
3. Another story tells that Valentine had a large garden where he grew roses himself. He allowed children to frolic on his territory and when they went home, they received a flower as a gift from the priest. When he was arrested, he was very worried that the children would have nowhere to walk, but two pigeons flew to him in prison, through which he handed over the key to the garden and a note.

Saint Valentine - interesting facts

There is information about this person noted in the religion, which for many people is unknown.

1. The saint is considered the patron saint of beekeeping and epileptics.
2. The skull of the patron saint of all lovers can be found in Rome in the Church of the Virgin Mary. After the life of St. Valentine ended, in the early 1800s, various relics and remains were found during excavations, which spread around the world.
3. It is believed that the holiday of lovers was invented by the English poet Chaucer, who described it in the poem "Bird Parliament".

Valentine's Day has firmly entered the calendar of Russian holidays. On this day, it is customary to congratulate your loved ones and give them gifts.
The roots of this holiday go back to deep pagan antiquity. Then it was not a holiday of love at all, but was associated with the cult of Luperk (or Pan) - the patron saint of herds.
In ancient Rome, every year from February 13 to February 15, Lupercalia was held - a festival dedicated to Luperk. In the grotto of Lupercal at the foot of the Palatine Hill (where, according to legend, the she-wolf brought up Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome), the priests of Luperk from the patrician youth gathered, sacrificed young goats, and after a ritual meal, the priests cut the skins of the sacrificial goats, stripped naked, ran around city ​​and whipped everyone they met with pieces of the skins of sacrificial goats. Women most willingly exposed their bodies to blows, because it was believed that these blows would give them fertility and easy childbirth.
This festival was borrowed by the Romans from Arcadia.

Domenico Beccafumi. Lupercalia

After the adoption of Christianity, Lupercalia, as well as other pagan festivals, were banned. Yes, how is it possible that a Christian woman was whipped by a strange man, and even naked ... But the people are used to festivities. Something had to be given in return. And in 496, Pope Gelasius I replaced Lupercalia with Valentine's Day.
I must say that such a replacement is not the only one. After all, they replaced the ancient holidays dedicated to the winter solstice with the Nativity of Jesus Christ, and the holidays dedicated to the summer solstice - with the Nativity of John the Baptist ...
The new holiday came up with a beautiful legend. Emperor Claudius II, who ruled in 268-270, fought a lot. The emperor believed that a soldier would fight better if he did not have a family. And so he forbade the soldiers of his army to marry. But the prankster Cupid, shooting arrows of love to the right and left, did not particularly understand who his arrows would hit. And, it happened that these arrows fell into the soldiers of the army of Claudius. And what should the poor soldier do when he was hit by an arrow fired by the prankster Cupid? After all, the imperial authorities could not register the marriages of soldiers. Supreme prohibition. And then a priest named Valentine appears, who, despite the imperial ban, began to register soldier marriages, however, having previously baptized the spouses. The existence of such an illegal marriage registration office was reported to the emperor. Claudius ordered that Valentine be arrested and brought to him for a preventive conversation. Valentine was arrested and taken to the emperor.
- So-so. So, despite my ban, you registered the marriages of my soldiers? Claudius asked Valentina sternly.
- Yes. For God is love.
- Okay, the demon is with you, I'll forgive you the organization of an illegal marriage office. But with one condition: you will make a sacrifice to the Roman gods. Well, for example, Luperka. After all, today is his holiday.
- Ah, here, fuck you bald, tyrant! I believe in Christ. And there are no other gods for me.
- Ah well. Well, then you should be headless.
And the priest Valentine was beheaded.
The authenticity of this legend is questioned. But you must admit, the legend is beautiful!
February 14 is also remembered by another saint named Valentine, Bishop of Interamna (Umbria, Italy). He not only married, but also healed serious ailments.

Saint Valentine cures epilepsy

It should be noted that the Sergian church protests against St. Valentine's Day. But both Valentin the Roman and Valentin of Interamna are Orthodox saints. The day of memory of the first is July 6 (July 19, New Style), and the second is July 30 (August 12, New Style).

In the Western world, February 14 is celebrated as Valentine's Day or Valentine's Day. The adoption of this tradition in Russia is sharply criticized by conservatives, and especially sharply now that there is talk that the “real” Saint Valentine married even same-sex couples. Surprisingly, the version of “Christian gay marriages” has a basis, moreover, taken from Orthodox history.

Valentine's Day is an interesting holiday in the sense that every year it acquires new connotations, sometimes very strange ones. At the same time, in Russia in recent years it can be called a holiday with a fair amount of conventionality. It appeared as a tracing paper from Western traditions, gained a foothold thanks to marketers, and was designed primarily for young people. However, in recent years, there are simply no particularly noisy celebrations of Valentine's Day. The maximum is discounts in stores and “valentines” in stationery kiosks. Young people prefer to bake pancakes during Shrove Tuesday.

Nevertheless, the battles over whether this holiday is necessary and how authentic it is for Russia to celebrate it have not subsided so far, albeit on a residual basis. The peculiarity of this year is a wave of stories that St. Valentine secretly married gays - Roman legionnaires, and therefore this is “a date alien to us and an alien saint”, although Valentine was recognized as a saint long before the split of the Christian church into the western (Catholics) and eastern (Orthodox) branches .

For certain, by the way, it is not known who St. Valentine married and which Valentine is meant. Perhaps we are talking about Valentine of Interamne, a bishop who lived in the Italian city of Thermi in the third century. He is known as a preacher and healer, through whose prayers the son of the Roman aristocrat Kraton was cured. After that, many people converted to Christianity, including the son of the mayor. Due to this fame, Valentine was taken into custody, and then tortured and beheaded. The memory of this martyr in the Russian Orthodox Church is celebrated on July 30 according to the old style.

There is also Valentine of Rome, also a martyr who lived around the same time and was also executed. Specialists in hagiography, however, say that in the person of Valentine of Rome, several martyrs who bore this name could be "connected".

As for the romantic component, the person of St. Valentine acquired it already in the late Middle Ages, more precisely, after the “Golden Legend” of Jacob Voraginsky, a collection of apocrypha and “entertaining lives of the saints”, which appeared around 1260. There were not so many literate people at that time, but among them this reading gained popularity, and therefore the image of St. Valentine as the patron saint of “young and in love” quickly entrenched.

Another thing is that the story of secret weddings does not stand up to historical criticism. The version that is most common tells about a certain priest and field doctor Valentine, who lived during the time of Emperor Claudius II. In order for men to fight better and more willingly carry out military service, Caesar allegedly forbade them to marry, as well as girls to marry.

There are several nuances here. Firstly, in the third century there was still no separate rite or rite that would fix the sacrament of marriage. Secondly, the Roman Empire in those days was quite pagan, and Christians were a marginal and persecuted community. And it is extremely unlikely that "advanced Roman youth" would marry in defiance of the will of the emperor, swearing allegiance to an "incomprehensible god" and not to "native pagan gods."

Much more plausible is the version according to which Valentine's Day has replaced the traditional and no less pagan lupercalia, in which case it was also about love and childbearing. It all started before the birth of Christ - in 276 BC, when a sudden "epidemic" of stillbirths and miscarriages occurred in Rome. Since medicine was, as they say, powerless, oracles came to the rescue, who announced that women needed to be subjected to ritual flogging. And dedicate the action itself to the Faun, one of whose nicknames is Luperc.

On the other hand, the celebration of the “day of the wolf” (Lupus is exactly the wolf) for Rome, with its legend of Romulus and Remus, fed by a she-wolf, was very symbolic. As a result, the new holiday has become one of the most popular. Luperki priests ran with goat leather belts (a goat was considered the most delicious victim for a wolf) and whipped women, and women willingly substituted these blows in order to enlist the support of higher powers for the sake of easy childbirth and the health of newborns.

It all ended, like many other holidays in Rome, with an orgy.

In 494, when Christianity had already become the dominant religion in the empire, Pope Gelasius I decided to stop Lupercalia, and the holiday of "pagan love" was replaced by the holiday of Christian love. However, a number of researchers find this version not too reliable. If only because the replacement of one holiday by another is a very long process in the historical perspective, and at the level of everyday paganism, lupercalia could continue for a long time.

As for stuffing about Valentine and gay marriage, they have some historical basis. The fact is that already in the eastern, Byzantine, church, there was such a rite as adelphopoiesis, or “twinning”, which is more correctly called “brotherhood”. We are talking about a church-blessed friendly union of two people of the same sex, usually men. It also took place in the Russian Church. For example, it is very likely that it was through adelphopoiesis that Alexander Nevsky and Sartak, the son of Batu, strengthened their alliance. Other political cases of such brotherhood are also known.

Over time, this rite completely went out of church practice, and one of the versions of why exactly rests on the topic of non-traditional relationships. Yale historian John Boswell generally interpreted adelphopoiesis as something close to gay marriage, but his approach is disputed by other researchers. And here we must understand that Boswell himself (who died, by the way, of AIDS) can be attributed to such a category of persons as gay activists, that is, he was biased in his own way.

Most likely, adelphopoiesis was abandoned due to the extreme politicization of this “brotherhood”. In addition, the family ties of such sworn brothers were not fully clarified. The Church equated spiritual kinship with blood. If so, the question arises - could the children of the “brothers” who passed the adelphopoiesis get married? The people thought that no, they could not.

According to the specialist in the history of the Church, hegumen Athanasius (Selichev), this late Byzantine rite did not take root because of its artificiality and uselessness. “You can make friends without vows. I also think that this confused the already confusing system of calculating kinship. It prevented the children of sworn brothers from marrying each other. After all, they actually became cousins, ”he told the VZGLYAD newspaper.

Whether there was an analogue of adelphopoiesis among Catholics is not an easy question. The historian Boswell mentioned above believed that no, there was not. His British colleague Alan Bray opposed him and even cited in his book the text of a Catholic rite from Slovenia called “Following the creation of the brothers”, although he admitted that much less is known about this phenomenon in the West, therefore, it was less common.

One way or another, but until the middle of the 20th century in the Roman Church, St. Valentine's Day was a significant event and one of the obligatory holidays. This continued until the Second Vatican Council of 1962-1965, which changed a lot of fundamental things in the structure of the Roman Church, up to the appearance of a new rite of the liturgy, which provoked several schisms and the emergence of the so-called Old Catholics, or Lefevrites (after the leader of the movement, Cardinal Marcel Lefebvre) .

At the same time, a global revision of the saints and holidays associated with these saints was carried out. As a result, in 1969, Valentine's Day as a general Catholic holiday was canceled, becoming "optional". The formal reason for this is the obscurity of all these Saint Valentines. Their canonical lives were too short and vague, too many later changes were made to them.

At the same time, God, as they say, has an excellent sense of humor: now in the Catholic Church February 14 is celebrated as the day of Cyril and Methodius, the enlighteners of the Slavic peoples.

Thus, for almost half a century, St. Valentine's Day has been a purely secular holiday, which has very little in common with church tradition (either Western or Eastern). He took the corresponding place in Russia - as a reason for discounts on cosmetics and other promotions. And faith and the church have nothing to do with it.

And the time is coming again. No, not the New Year and not even March 8th. And chocolate-heart-flowery Valentine's Day, or Valentine's Day. And while love is in the air for everyone, we decided to dig up historical facts about this day that have little to do with falling in love and flowers.

The Roman emperor Claudius II did not allow his soldiers to marry during the war, as he believed that love and marriage were in no way connected. According to the Golden Legend, a collection of Christian legends and the lives of saints, it was under Claudius II that Saint Valentine was executed.

In fact, there are several legends about Saint Valentine. One says that he secretly married lovers, was caught and executed by order of the emperor. According to another, Valentine tried to help Christians who were persecuted in those days escape from prison, was discovered and captured. Fell in love with the daughter of his jailer and wrote her the first Valentine, signing "Your Valentine". Be that as it may, Valentine was executed, and Pope Julius II canonized him, presumably on February 14th.

Red roses were the favorite flowers of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. In general, each flower has its own meaning, so try not to give your girlfriend a hatred bouquet of yellow lilies, for example. © rexfeatures

It was the King of England Henry VIII, known for the fact that almost all of his six wives died tragically (he himself executed two, one died after childbirth), in 1537 made February 14 an official holiday for lovers.

The city of Verona still receives thousands of letters addressed to Juliet, Romeo's love. Pictured is a statue of Juliet in Verona. © rexfeatures

Only in the Middle Ages did Valentine's Day become associated with love, and then only because, for example, in France and England, in February, the mating season began for birds. © rexfeatures

Many historians suggest that February 14 was chosen not at all because of St. Valentine, but to replace the ancient Roman pagan fertility holiday Lupercalia in honor of the god Faun, as well as the founders of the city, Romulus and Remus. During the celebration, goats and dogs were sacrificed, men undressed, ran around the city and whipped everyone with animal skins, especially women, since the blow was considered a blessing. Then the leaves with women's names were placed in a vessel, and the men thus chose a mate for themselves for a year, after which they got married.

Valentine cards appeared at the beginning of the 20th century, when typography became not such a complicated process. At that time, it was not customary to openly express your feelings, so valentines were most welcome.

In fact, several Christian martyrs with the name Valentine lived in the 3rd century - the holy martyr Valentin, bishop of the city of Interamna, and the presbyter Valentin of Rome, as well as the martyr Valentin of Dorostol, a warrior who died for an open confession of Christianity.

In the Roman church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, you can admire the skull of St. Valentine. Yes, this is one of the main attractions of the church. We hope that this is the skull of exactly the “correct” Valentine. Are you going to Rome anytime soon? Great, you can see the rest of his skeleton in the Czech Republic, Ireland, Scotland, Great Britain and France.

In the days of Queen Victoria in England, it was considered bad luck to sign valentines. Probably, this was due to the fact that, again, it was not customary to openly declare one's feelings, since it was possible to compromise the beloved.

The oldest valentine has survived, with a poem sent in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Unfortunately, his wife passed away before she could get the duke's poem.

At the beginning of the 19th century, doctors actively urged people to eat chocolate to relieve longing for their beloved. And at the end of the 19th century, Richard Cadbury produced the world's first box of chocolates.

In the Middle Ages, most people were illiterate, so when they had to sign any document, they simply put an X in front of witnesses, and then kissed their "signature" as a sign of the sincerity of their decision. Among these documents were marriage certificates.

secular version.

According to secular sources, the story went like this. In Rome, under Emperor Claudius II, who forbade his soldiers to marry, lived the priest Valentine. Valentine, contrary to the imperial decree, secretly continued to marry lovers, for which he was imprisoned. Claudius even ordered the execution of the priest. And in conclusion, Valentine allegedly wrote notes to the jailer's daughter, whom he fell in love with. Before the execution, the young priest wrote a farewell note to the girl with the brief phrase "from Valentine". Having received this news, the jailer's daughter, being still blind, received her sight. Since then, people have revered this day as the holiday of lovers.

According to church records.

These events took place in the 3rd century, when the persecution of Christianity, begun under the emperor Nero, continued. The state was afraid that Christianity, as an alien religion, would anger its "gods", and they would turn away from the empire. In addition, each emperor bore the title of Pontificus magnus (high priest), that is, he was a convinced pagan.

In the "Lives of the Saints" for July 6, we see the priest Valentine brought to trial, but not because he supposedly crowned soldiers, but because he confessed Christ as God. Let us listen to the conversation that took place between the cruel emperor Claudius, who issued a decree to execute all Christians, and the young presbyter.

Why are you, living among our people, not in agreement with us? I hear enough about your Christian teaching and wonder how you, being an intelligent person, are seduced by the empty tales of your faith? asked Valentina Claudius.

- If you knew the gift of God, which is in our faith, then you would gladly accept it, and you yourself and your people, would reject false gods and idols made by human hands and confess the One Almighty God the Father and Jesus Christ, His Son , the Creator of all that exists, who created the sky, and the earth, and the sea, and everything that is in them, answered Valentine.

"If Christ is God, why don't you tell me the whole truth about Him?" asked the emperor, who was listening attentively.

— Oh, king! Listen to me, and your soul will be saved, your kingdom will expand and your enemies will disappear, you will defeat everyone and here you will enjoy the temporary, and in the future life - the eternal kingdom. Do only the following: repent of the blood of the saints that you shed, believe in Christ and receive Holy Baptism.

After listening to these words, Claudius betrayed Valentine to one of the main dignitaries - Asterius, a man known for his mind, so that he would convince him that the pagan faith is better than the Christian one.

Arriving at the house of Asterius, Valentine prayed that the Lord would turn that house to Himself and give it light after darkness, so that he would know God and Christ in unity with the Holy Spirit. Asterius, who heard the prayer of St. Valentine, asked with surprise why he called Christ the Light. The saint answered that the Lord Jesus Christ is the true light that enlightens every person who comes into the world.

“If He enlightens every person,” Asterius said to this, “then I will now test whether what you say is true.” I have a daughter who was blind before the age of two, and if you restore her sight in the name of your Christ, then I will do everything you command.

Valentine asked to bring the girl. He prayed with tears, then put his hand on the eyes of the blind man and said: "Lord Jesus Christ! Enlighten Your servant, for You are the true Light." After these words, the girl immediately regained her sight. Seeing this, Asterius and his wife fell at the feet of the saint with the words: "We beseech you, do with us what you wish, so that we become the slaves of Christ and our souls are saved." Then St. Valentine ordered them to destroy all the idols that were in the house, to forgive the debts of debtors and, after a three-day fast, to receive Holy Baptism. Asterius and his wife agreed to fulfill everything, and the saint began to teach them the truths of the Christian faith.

Three days later, Asterius was baptized with all his house. Upon learning of this, the emperor immediately sent soldiers to seize all those living in the house of Asterius and torture them so that they renounce Christ. In addition, he ordered that Valentine and some other Christians be separated from the family of Asterius, hoping that the newly baptized and not yet tested in the faith would soon renounce Christ away from them. But he was wrong. Saint Asterius was martyred along with all the household, whom he strengthened with the words: "Be bold, do not be afraid, for the One who was seen in the Babylonian furnace with three youths, now stands among us."
And St. Valentine with some Christians was brought to trial before Claudius, where, by imperial order, he was beaten with sticks without mercy, and then his head was cut off with a sword.

The holy martyr Valentine ended his life with a glorious Christian death for the Lord, and by no means for secretly crowning Roman soldiers. And being in chains, he did not write love letters to the jailer's blind daughter, but, like all Christians sentenced to death, he prayed to Jesus Christ to strengthen his strength during terrible torment.

The pagan roots of the holiday.

Where did this holiday, called Valentine's Day, come from? It turns out that he did not come from the Christian East and not from the Catholic West, but came out of rude paganism.

In ancient times in Rome there was a festival of Lupercalia, which was celebrated on February 15th. This holiday was dedicated to the Faun - the pagan god of fields, forests, pastures and animals. On this day, Luperk priests sacrificed animals to the Faun. It was believed that on this day each bird chooses a mate. Lupercalia was also a holiday for lovers, patronized by the goddesses Juno and Fauna. In order to preserve the feast of the Lupercalia, a certain Christian “plaque” was imposed on it.

This is what we are actually celebrating...

// January 31, 2011 // Views: 5 676