My Ode to Romance Countdown to Valentine’s Day

13 of 14 The Origins of Valentine’s Day

February 14^th was first a pagan feast day which was later changed by Pope Gelasius 1 in AD 496 to a Christian feast day to honour Valentine. There are many legends surrounding this day claiming Saint Valentine as a priest who was martyred in AD 269 for his kindness and love to the persecuted Christians in Rome. Then later in the 14^th and 15^th centuries, Valentine’s Day became associated with romantic love.

“Because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry.”  Ecclesiastes 8 verse 15

Author: Jemmie Jems

Under the name Francis Lee, I write interracial Christian romantic suspense. My stories are about finding enduring love when hope and redemption seem unattainable as danger lurks around every corner. My characters learn that where there is darkness, "joy will always come in the morning". View all posts by Jemmie Jems