  thumb|shrine of st. valentine in whitefriar street carmelite church in dublin, ireland  saint valentine's day, also known as valentine's day or the feast of saint valentine,chambers 21st century dictionary, revised ed., allied publishers, 2005 isbn 9780550142108 is a holiday observed on february 14 each year. it is celebrated in many countries around the world, although it is not a holiday in most of them. st. valentine's day began as a liturgical celebration one or more early christian saints named valentinus. several martyrdom stories were invented for the various valentines that belonged to february 14, and added to later martyrologies.ansgar, 1986, chaucer and the cult of saint valentine, pp. 46-58 a popular hagiographical account of saint valentine of rome states that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to christians, who were persecuted under the roman empire. according to legend, during his imprisonment, he healed the daughter of his jailer, asterius. an embellishment to this story states that before his execution he wrote her a letter signed "your valentine" as a farewell. today, saint valentine's day is an official feast day in the anglican communion, as well as in the lutheran church.{{cite book |last=pfatteicher|firs
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