Valentine of Interamna

Saint Valentine, hieromartyr, was bishop of the city of Interamna, today Terni, in Umbria (Italy), and suffered martyrdom in the third century. The Orthodox Church commemorates him on 30 July, and the Catholic Church on 14 February, the day known in the West as the feast of lovers.

His life, as preserved in tradition, speaks of the gift of healing. The son of a Roman aristocrat, Craton, had fallen ill, and after fruitless attempts with doctors the father called for Bishop Valentine. According to tradition, the saint healed the young man by prayer, and through this Craton and the young man's parents came to faith in Christ.

The news of Valentine spread through the city, and his preaching brought many townspeople to Christianity, among them Abundius, the son of the city magistrate, who openly confessed himself a Christian before his father. Valentine was arrested and, because he refused to sacrifice to the pagan gods, he was tortured and then beheaded.

His disciples carried his body to Interamna. In the fourth century a basilica was built over his tomb, and it still stands, after several rebuildings. The relics of Saint Valentine are kept in its main altar.

Scholars distinguish him from another martyr Valentine, a Roman priest, and note that the links between the two and the tradition of the 14 February feast remain unclear in the sources. The Orthodox commemoration of the bishop of Interamna is on 30 July.