VALENTINE was a holy priest in Rome, who, with St. Marius and his
family, assisted the martyrs in the persecution under Claudius II. He
was {414} apprehended, and sent by the emperor to the prefect of Rome;
who, on finding all his promises to make him renounce his faith
ineffectual, commanded him to be beaten with clubs, and afterwards to be
beheaded, which was executed on the 14th of February, about the year
270. Pope Julius I. is said to have built a church near Ponte Mole to
his memory, which for a long time gave name to the gate, now called
Ports del Popolo, formerly Porta Valentini. The greatest part of his
relics are now in the church of St. Praxedes. His name is celebrated as
that of an illustrious martyr, in the sacramentary of St. Gregory, the
Roman missal of Thomasius, in the calendar of F. Fronto, and that of
Allatius, in Bede, Usuard, Ado, Notker, and all other martyrologies on
this day. To abolish the heathen's lewd superstitious custom of boys
drawing the names of girls, in honor of their goddess Februata Juno, on
the 15th of this month, several zealous pastors substituted the names of
saints in billets given on this day. See January 29, on St. Francis de
Sales.