how st valentine was killed

On February 14around the year 278A.D., Valentine, a
holy priest in Rome in the days of Emperor Claudius
II, was executed.

Under the rule of Claudius the Cruel, Rome was
involved in many unpopular and bloody campaigns.
The emperor had to maintain a strong army, but was
having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his
military leagues.

 Claudius believed that Roman men
were unwilling to join the army because of their
strong attachment to their wives and families.
To get rid of the problem, Claudius banned all
marriages and engagements in Rome. Valentine,
realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius
and continued to perform marriages for young lovers
in secret.
When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius
ordered that he be put to
death. Valentine was
arrested and dragged before the Prefect of Rome,
who condemned him to be beaten to death with
clubs and to have his head cut off.

 The sentence was
carried out on February 14, on or about the year 270.
Legend also has it that while in jail, St. Valentine left
a farewell note for the jailer’s daughter, who had
become his friend, and signed it “From Your
Valentine.”
For his great service, Valentine was named a saint
after his death.
In truth, the exact origins and identity of St.
Valentine are unclear. According to the Catholic
Encyclopedia, “At least three different Saint
Valentines, all of them martyrs, are mentioned in the
early martyrologies under the date of 14 February.”
One was a priest in Rome, the second one was a
bishop of Interamna (now Terni, Italy) and the third
St. Valentine was a martyr in the Roman province of
Africa.
Legends vary on how the martyr’s name became
connected with romance. The date of his death may
have become mingled with the Feast of Lupercalia, a
pagan festival of love. On these occasions, the names
of young women were placed in a box, from which
they were drawn by the men as chance directed. In
496 AD, Pope Gelasius decided to put an end to the
Feast of Lupercalia, and he declared that February 14
be celebrated as St Valentine’s Day.
Gradually, February 14 became a date for exchanging
love messages, poems and simple gifts such as
flowers.