One was a priest in Rome, another a bishop in Terni, and of a third St. Valentine almost nothing is known except that he met his end in Africa.

Which St. Valentine this early Pope intended to honor remains a mystery: according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, there were at least three early Christian saints by that name.

Pope Gelasius I recast this pagan festival as a Christian feast day circa 496, declaring February 14 to be St. Valentine's Day.

The history of Valentine's Day is obscure, and further clouded by various fanciful legends.

The holiday's roots are in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, a fertility celebration commemorated annually on February 15.