Valentine's Day Becomes Christianized

• 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...

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...

• On May 13, 609 A.D., Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon in Rome in honor of all Christian martyrs and the Catholic feast of All Martyrs Day was established. Pope Gregory III later expanded the festival and moved the observance from May 13 to November 1.
• The influence of Christ...