Saint Valentin Interamnsky

Valentine of Interamna (3rd century) is a Christian saint venerated as a hieromartyr. His feast day is celebrated in the Orthodox Church on July 30 (August 12) and in the Catholic Church on February 14 (Valentine's Day). Valentine was the bishop of the city of Interamna (modern-day Terni) in Umbria, Italy. His hagiography recounts his gift of healing. When the son of the Roman aristocrat Craton fell ill, the father, after unsuccessful attempts to find a cure from physicians, summoned Bishop Valentine, who, according to tradition, healed the youth through prayer, thereby converting both the young man and his parents to Christianity. Valentine's fame spread throughout the city, and his preaching converted many citizens, including Abundius, the son of the city prefect, who openly professed himself a Christian before his father. Valentine was arrested; after refusing to offer sacrifice to pagan gods, he was tortured and subsequently beheaded. Valentine's body was transported by his disciples to Interamna. In the 4th century, a basilica was built over his tomb, which has survived to the present day after a series of reconstructions. The relics of Saint Valentine are kept in its main altar.