Valentine's Day Becomes Christianized

Saint Valentine of Rome was added to the Catholic calendar by Pope Gelasius in 496. By the mid-17th century, the celebration of Valentine's day in England was customary.

The first commercial valentines day appeared in England at the end of the 18th century. They combined traditional symbo...

• In the 15th century, 14 February became an annual feast day in France. Banquets with singing and dancing were held to celebrate romantic love.
• During this time, a Frenchman, imprisoned in the Tower of London, wrote the earliest surviving Valentine's greeting to his...

The history of Valentine's Day can be traced back to ancient Rome.

From 13 to 15 February, ancient Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia. Roman men sacrificed goats before using their skins to whip women, believing this would make them fertile.