Author: Ursula Buba
Did you know Saint Valentine was originally called upon by Catholics to protect them from plague outbreaks?
It’s true. The martyr, who died in the third century, was not originally a bringer of love but rather a doctor! There are many stories that circulate about the saint. It’s hard to exactly articulate what is true and what is fiction about a figure who lived eighteen centuries ago. The recurring facts are that Saint Valentine was the bishop of Terni, in central Italy. He was a famous healer. Valentine’s miracles include the healing a blind girl’s eyes and curing a young boy’s seizures to persuade the faith of his family. Both of these stories are a bit confused due to varying retellings over the past eighteen centuries.
So, how do we get from curing seizures and sight to preventing plague? Well, Saint Valentine’s skull was kept as a reliquary object. Saint Valentine’s skull was claimed to have been used for medicinal and religious remedies alike. The keeping of Saint Valentine’s reliquary objects appears to be what led to his linking with plague protection. Although there are a few locations that claim to hold the true skull, it was said to be used by an 11th century Bishop in Brittany to cure all sorts of maladies including even that of demonic possession.
Here we see a similar story as to Saint Valentine, showing responsibilities he may have undertaken. Monks and nuns working as doctors and nurses, with mass being held in the far end of the church. Although, Saint Valentine may have been seen as extraordinary for being a bishop who was also working in this mode a healer among social outcasts. Before modernity, it was thought that illnesses were not caused by germs by instead a divine causation. So, those who were ill or injured were thought to have angered the divine in some way and were cursed with troublesome maladies as punishment. Following this line of thought it was noble to be living among these wrongdoers and attempting to heal or make their lives better. A common ailment one might be familiar with is leprosy and leper colonies. Being a physician has always been a hazardous job, especially before modern day safety procedures, germ theory, and sanitation practices. This mural does an excellent job portraying the lack of personal protective gear. No gloves, masks or hand washing in sight!
So, now we ask how do we go from leprosy to being love struck? The story of Saint Valentine does include one more commonality. He was said to have passed notes between lovers who were taken as prisoners by Gothicus. This being part of the idea behind Valentine’s Day cards!
Sources:
Bitel, Lisa. “The Gory Origins of Valentine’s Day.” Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Feb. 2018, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/gory-origins-valentines-day-180968156/.
“Why St. Valentine Is a Patron Saint against Plagues.” Aleteia — Catholic Spirituality, Lifestyle, World News, and Culture, 2021, aleteia.org/2021/02/14/why-st-valentine-is-a-patron-saint-against-plagues. Accessed 14 Feb. 2025.
Ursula Buba is the IMSS Spring 2025 education intern. She is a graduate student at Northwestern University, studying Arts and Culture Management. She loves linoleum block printing and divine fate, and she questions cyclical temporalities.