Who is Saint Valentine…
Did you know?
Everyone knows he is the patron saint of lovers, but who knew St
Valentine was also the patron saint of epileptics, and beekeepers? It’s
a strange mix all right….
Some accounts say he was a 3rd Century Roman priest and physician
who was martyred during persecution of the Christians, and that he
signed a letter ‘from your Valentine’ to his jailer’s daughter who he had
befriended and cured of blindness.
Other claims are that he was the Bishop of Terni in Italy and he cured a
child with epilepsy. Yet another legend maintains he defied the
emperor’s orders to marry couples in secret thus sparing the husbands
from being conscripted into the army and having to go to war.
St Valentine’s Day
On Saint Valentine’s Day in Ireland, many individuals who seek love
make a Christian pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Valentine in Whitefriar
Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, which is said to house relics of St
Valentine of Rome. Hopefuls pray at the shrine in their yearning to find
true romance.
Did Saint Valentine exist?
It seems the stories of St Valentine and his exploits abound and indeed,
they may not all refer to the same man! But such a person really did
exist….so where do the bees come in?
The patron saint of beekeepers.
Well we’re not entirely sure why he is known as the patron saint of
beekeepers, charged with ensuring the sweetness of honey and the
protection of those who look after these busy little miracles of nature.
Maybe it’s the association of love, fertility and springtime… who
knows? But it gives a whole new meaning to Bee My Valentine eh!
