Saint Valentí de Terni

Valentine of Terni or Valentine of Interamna (Terni, c. 176 – Rome, February 14, 269) was, according to Christian tradition, a bishop of Terni who died as a martyr in Rome. Venerated as a saint throughout Christendom, he is nonetheless a legendary and non-existent saint whose history originated from the real existence of the martyr Valentine of Rome, from whom he gradually diverged to form a separate hagiographical personality. The coincidence of the liturgical feast day for both the priest-martyr and the bishop, along with the proximity of their supposed burial sites, are arguments in favor of identifying the two figures as one. Although there is no historical evidence for the bishop of Terni, he is the only one who appears in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum and the saint who, over time, gained the most prominence. In 1969, given the lack of reliable evidence for his real existence, he was removed from the Catholic calendar of saints, although he was retained in the martyrology for dioceses where his devotion is traditional, such as Malta or Terni. Conversely, Valentine of Rome, the priest-martyr, remains in the calendar of saints as the sole Valentine for February 14.