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When, in 496, Pope Gelasius included Valentine among all those "... whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God," Gelasius implies that nothing was known to him about the life of Valentine, over two centuries earlier. Nevertheless, tradition says that St. Valentine secretly married young couples so that the husbands could avoid military service. We do not know whether this tradition began with Gelasius, or whether it was already established, but it suited his need for a Christian festivity to replace the pagan fertility festival still practised by many supposed Christians.

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11y ago

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