The legend of St. Valentine - a narrative about the strength of the spirit of a man who knows how to love

Valentine's Day - the patron saint of lovers - is celebrated on February 14th. On this day, it is customary to congratulate couples in love or simply representatives of the opposite sex. Also on February 14 - Valentine's Valentine and Valentine's name day.

In different countries, the holiday is celebrated in different ways. In the US and Germany, congratulations are received by colleagues, and residents of Foggy Albion honor not only people, but also domestic animals: cats, dogs, parrots and guinea pigs. The Japanese give each other chocolate, and the French - jewelry.

On Valentine's Day it is customary to pay special attention to the object of your love, give each other valentines (greeting cards in the form of hearts), bake hearts from dough, make appointments and arrange romantic evenings.

Like other holidays, Valentine's Day has its own story, the hero of which is an ancient Roman priest and Valentin's doctor. Since the events took place many centuries ago, today it is difficult to determine that in the surviving legends fiction and what is true. Undoubtedly one thing: the legend of St. Valentine tells of the extraordinary strength of the spirit of an ordinary person who knows how to love his neighbor, as written in the Bible.

Martyr

Valentine was one of the priests of ancient Rome, professing the Christian faith. The emperor himself worshiped the pagan gods Mercury and Zeus. Christians in those days were persecuted and tortured.

Once the guard took Valentine and led him to the emperor. The ruler tried to persuade the holy father, to force the believer in Christ to change his beliefs. But St. Valentine, the legend of which has survived to this day, was adamant - he prayed to God and asked the emperor to repent.

Tyrant remained deaf to the requests of the priest, and dignitary Asteria offered Valentina to pass the test. Asteria had a blind daughter, and he asked to return the girl's sight. Thanks to hot prayers, the little girl has seen through, and the official's family, believing in a miracle, has adopted Christianity.

Upon learning of what had happened, the emperor ordered all Christians to be imprisoned, and Valentine himself beat up and executed with sticks. The priest bravely accepted all the trials and died at the hands of the executioner. Here is a legend of the feast of St. Valentine, but it is not the only one.

Priest

Another legend about St. Valentine tells how the priest went against the will of the emperor. In those days, the Roman Empire ruled Claudius II. Tyrant had few conquered lands, he sought to expand the boundaries of his possessions. But the soldiers-legionaries did not want to fight, because they did not see the point in the fighting.

Claudius II decided that the soldiers refuse to take weapons, as many of them have families, children. Then in the empire was issued a law prohibiting marriage. Of course, the inhabitants of Rome were against this law.

Valentine also opposed the unreasonable decree. He secretly crowned the lovers, for which he was arrested and thrown into prison. There the priest fell in love with the daughter of the jailer, but because he was bound by the vow of celibacy, he could not give vent to his feelings. Waiting for execution Valentine wrote a letter to his lover and put a flower of crocus in the message. According to one version of the legend, the girl was blind, but the power of love and faith helped her to see clearly. The next day after sending the letter - February 14 - Valentine was executed.

Healer

St. Valentine was not only a priest, but also a doctor. During the treatment, he tried not to cause suffering to patients. Painful sensations were removed by herbs, wounds were washed with wine, and bitter drugs were diluted with milk and honey.

One day Valentina knocked on the door. On the threshold stood the jailer of the Roman emperor. His daughter was blind from birth, and the guard asked the doctor to heal her. The priest understood that it was impossible to restore sight, but still prescribed herbs and ointments. Later, Valentine was arrested for religious beliefs and sentenced to death. On the eve of his death, Valentine wrote a love letter to the girl, after reading which she saw the light.

This legend of St. Valentine is very similar to the previous legends, but there is nothing surprising in this. In those years, the priest could be a doctor, a scientist, a psychologist, a teacher, and even an unofficial judge.

Friend of children

Another legend tells of the fact that the ancient Roman youth Valentin was very fond of the small citizens of the empire and enjoyed spending time with them. The young man was a Christian, so he did not worship the pagan gods. For this he was imprisoned.

Children really missed their oldest friend, they came to the window of the cell where Valentine was, brought him letters with confessions of love. Unfortunately, the young man could not play with his young friends, since he was imprisoned and was sentenced to death. The legend of Saint Valentine, a friend of children, is less well known than other legends.

The canonization of Valentine

Valentine's accreditation to the saints took place before the separation of the Christian church into Orthodox and Catholic, in 494 AD. E. On the initiative of Pope Gelasius. The saint was supposed to be worshiped on the day of the pagan feast of fertility (February 14), when young men and women behaved more freely than in everyday life. Today in the pantheon of the church there are three saints bearing this name: the martyr Valentin Dorostolsky, the martyrs Valentin Interamsky and Valentin Rimsky.

The clergy do not welcome the idea of the relationship of the image of the saint to the feast of lovers, for it is necessary to give love every day. St. Valentine, the legend of which is told each time in different ways, is revered as a martyr who suffered for the faith.

The Orthodox Church celebrates Valentine's Day on August 12. On this day, as well as on other days, believers have the opportunity to bow to the relics of the saint in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. And the legend of Valentine's Day remains in the hearts of all people as a memory of the Great Martyr.