Who is St Valentine? Why is Valentine’s Day named after him?

PIC BY JANET TAPPIN COELHO / CATERS NEWS - (PICTURED: The final face of St Valentine) - *NOTE TO DESKS: ONLINE EMBARGO 00.01 GMT TUESDAY FEB 14 2021* Saint Valentine has been brought back to life thanks to 3D technology. It is the first time the portrait of the patron saint of lovers, who was beheaded for defending romance some 1,700 years ago, has been revealed. Scientists digitally mapped the holy mans face using an ancient skull and 3D interactive technology. Computer graphic designers Cicero Moraes unveiled the romantics reconstruction in time for Valentines day. SEE CATERS COPY — Saint Valentine has been brought back to life thanks to 3D technology. PIC BY JANET TAPPIN COELHO / CATERS NEWS

Who is responsible for this? Who brought this stomach-churning tidal wave of hearts, flowers and cards upon us? Saint Valentine, that’s who.

Well, it is a bit harsh to blame him, he was around about 1700 years ago and there were little or no signs that Clinton Cards would ever exist – he could not have known what he was creating.

But what was his story? Why do couples lose their collective minds on February 14th every year in the name of the man? What was his Goddamn problem?

Who was Saint Valentine?

Sorry to disappoint straight away, but we don’t know 100% for sure – however, there is a widely accepted theory.

Who is St Valentine? Why is Valentine's Day named after him? — Who is St Valentine? Why is Valentine’s Day named after him? (Creative Commons)

St Valentine was a priest from Rome who lived in the third century, thought to have died around 270 AD.

At the time, Emperor Claudius II had banned marriages as he thought single men made better soldiers.

Being a romantic chap, St Valentine was arranging and performing marriages in secret so couples could still celebrate their love.

Unfortunately, the Emperor got wind of this and imprisoned Valentine, sentencing him to death for his crime.

One account suggests that, whilst imprisoned, Valentine fell in love with his jailer’s daughter and on the day of his execution (February 14th) he sent her a love letter signed ‘from your Valentine.’

Who is St Valentine? Why is Valentine's Day named after him? (Creative Commons) — Who is St Valentine? Why is Valentine’s Day named after him? (Creative Commons)

What on earth is that computer generated image at the top of this article?

A valid question.

What is thought to be Saint Valentine’s skull is kept in the Basilica of Santa Maria of Cosmedin, in Rome.

Brazilian scientists and leading computer graphic designers, Cicero Moraes, have worked on the skull to recreate what Saint Valentine may have looked like.