what did st valentine do

St Valentine is remembered as a Christian martyr who, according to later legends, secretly married couples and cared for persecuted believers in Rome, which eventually led to his execution.

The Core Story

Most traditions say St Valentine lived in the 3rd century during the Roman Empire and was either a priest in Rome or a bishop in what is now Terni, Italy. Emperor Claudius II is said to have banned certain marriages, especially for soldiers, believing single men made better fighters. Valentine, convinced that marriage was sacred, is said to have performed Christian weddings in secret despite the imperial ban.

What He Supposedly Did

Common elements from the legends include:

• Secretly marrying Christian couples, often to keep men from being forced into military service.

• Supporting persecuted Christians with pastoral care, charity, and encouragement.

• Being arrested for these actions and brought before Emperor Claudius II.

• Attempting to share or defend the Christian faith before authorities, which angered the emperor.

• Being sentenced to death and executed (usually described as beating, stoning, and beheading) around the year 269.

One popular legend says that while in prison, Valentine healed his jailer Asterius’s blind daughter. After this miracle, the jailer and his household are said to have converted to Christianity. Another detail adds that Valentine sent the girl a final note signed “from your Valentine” before his execution, which later fed into the custom of sending valentines.

Historical vs Legendary

Historians agree on very little about the “real” Valentine beyond the fact that there were early Christian martyrs named Valentine whose feast was kept on February 14. Over time, their stories blended with medieval traditions about courtly love and later with commercial customs like cards, chocolates, and flowers. So when people ask “what did St Valentine do,” the honest answer is: he was likely a Christian leader martyred for his faith, and later legends turned him into a symbol of romantic love and faithful commitment.

Why He’s Linked to Valentine’s Day

Because his feast day is February 14, poets and writers in the Middle Ages—especially in England and France—started connecting St Valentine with ideas of romance and “choosing a mate” in springtime. That association evolved into the modern Valentine’s Day, where the focus is on romantic love, gifts, and affectionate messages, rather than on martyrdom and religious conviction.

In short, St Valentine didn’t invent chocolates and roses; he became the enduring symbol that later generations attached to love, loyalty, and sometimes costly commitment.

TL;DR: St Valentine was likely a 3rd‑century Christian priest or bishop who secretly married couples and supported persecuted believers, was executed for his faith, and later became the legendary patron saint of romantic love whose feast turned into today’s Valentine’s Day.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.