- Edison Veiga
- From Bled (Slovenia) to BBC Information in Brazil
credit score, Cicero Moraes
Two Valentines, in scenes created by Brazilian designer Cícero Moraes
When he was emperor of Rome, Marcus Aurelius Claudius (214-270) determined to not permit troopers to marry – he understood {that a} warrior with out household ties was much less afraid, as a result of he was much less afraid to threat his life.
It’s mentioned {that a} bishop named Valentim, as a result of he believed in love, continued to have a good time marriage bonds among the many military, thus disrespecting the royal decree.
There are additionally accounts of a non secular named Valentim who unfold roses within the streets. And the tales say that there was a Valentine who minimize leather-based hearts and gave them to the troopers, in order that they may take a look at such playing cards and bear in mind their family members.
And even the story that Reverend Valentine opposed the plans of influential relations and, realizing that there was an actual feeling, was accepted to rearrange the union between a younger Christian and his pagan bride.
Within the accounts of Catholic saints, there are eleven named Valentine. And a minimum of three of them – as described by the scholar of hagiographies Thiago Maerki, a researcher on the Federal College of São Paulo (Unifesp) and a pal of the Hagiography Society, in the US – perform studies with messages of affection.
“These three characters are all the time confused, combined up”, he insists. “The Valentine celebrated by the Church, the Roman Valentine, has extra to do with the story of a health care provider who turned a priest and, towards the Emperor’s legislation, continued to conduct marriages between troopers.”
However his existence is debated.
Whether it is tough to outline the place Valentine begins, the place the opposite ends, it’s much more tough to show what has occurred and what’s not however a fantasy constructed up over the centuries.
credit score, Cicero Moraes
And, because the quantity celebrated by Catholics on February 14 may be very wealthy in controversy, as a result of impossibility of verifying what’s true and what’s fiction, the Catholic Church itself noticed match to take away him from the calendar of liturgical rituals, even within the Nineteen Sixties. after the Second Vatican Council.
The Mass in his honor is barely held in locations the place the custom is robust.
making a fantasy
Within the official paperwork of the Church, the knowledge is temporary and doesn’t permit to tell apart one Valentine from one other.
The Roman Martyrology, the place the biographies of the saints, is obvious. On February 14, Saint Valentine is talked about, adopted by a short description that he was martyred “in Rome, within the Vila Flaminia, subsequent to the Milvian bridge”. Nothing extra.
“The missal earlier than the Second Vatican Council additionally doesn’t present particulars, however it reveals that Valentine was a priest and a martyr, and that his martyrdom happened across the 12 months 270”, says the researcher and scholar of the saint’s life José Luís Lira, the founder. on the Brazilian Academy of Hagiology and professor on the College of Vale do Aracaú, Ceará.
He explains that what outlined the picture of Santa Valentine ended up being “spoken and written literature”.
“Legends are created round them, as was the custom of those early Christians. The voice of the folks celebrated their saints. And these traditions, well-known traditions, gained power within the Center Ages. Till one thing unlawful was determined. to be accepted by the Church, which might do nothing however take the custom as authorized,” Maerki mentioned.
credit score, Public area
A sixteenth century canvas depicting the picture of Saint Valentine
Amongst many conflicting details, the widespread thread of what might be the actual Valentine is all data confirmed by numerous sources. So, it’s attainable to position the saint of affection as somebody who lived in Rome within the third century of this period.
Battle with the federal government of Emperor Claudius. It additionally corresponds to the presence of the Milvio bridge, over the Tiber River, talked about within the Martyrology.
“He’s from across the 12 months 207”, emphasizes Lira. “Quoted in the course of the Second Punic Warfare, in the course of the return of the Metauro Warfare.”
Additionally it is cheap to imagine that he was martyred, as this occasion was widespread amongst distinguished Christians of his day, when Rome noticed the group as a risk to order.
The 14th of February because the date of his demise is prone to have been invented too late. A correct invention, by the best way, within the system put in place by the Church, when it turned the official faith, from the 4th century onwards, with the purpose of systematically absorbing and re-presenting pagan practices.
“Even with the official Christianity, at the start the traditions that at present are known as pagan, Roman, lived along with Christianity. The Pontifical Gregorian College in Rome and the deputy director of the Lay Middle in Rome.
He Was A Pagan, He Grew to become A Christian, Now He Is Spiritual
“The Church at the moment progressively created festivals, reminiscences and practices to suppress pagan practices. Temples turned church buildings, and rituals started to be mirrored once more”, he provides.
That’s the reason within the 12 months 496, Pope Gelasius I (410-196) established that Saint Valentine needs to be celebrated on February 14. This concept was not unintentional.
Throughout this time, a couple of month earlier than the beginning of spring within the northern a part of the equator, Historical Rome had a pageant known as Lupercalia, a fertility ritual.
credit score, Cicero Moraes
The reconstruction reveals how holy he could be all through his life
“Additionally it is the time when folks get collectively intimately, sexually, as a non secular ritual. This time marks the start of planting and so they ask for a blessing from the gods to have a fertile 12 months, with a whole lot of manufacturing”, he contextualizes. The Domingues.
The Pope needed to determine what already existed in Christian ethical values. “He needed to finish after which he needed to create a Christian identification in custom. He positioned Saint Valentine because the patron of lovers, {couples}”, explains the Vaticanist.
“The Church didn’t utterly abandon the prevailing practices however tailored them, tried to place a justified Christianity on the customs and social relations that had been typically pagan.”
On this manner, Domingues feedback that Valentim’s alternative could not have been arbitrary. “There is no such thing as a cause so far as we all know,” he mentioned. And fairy tales full of affection tales could have been created later.
“It was at the moment that the reminiscence of Saint Valentine started to be related to the thought of the saint of affection, the saint of lovers.”, mentioned Maerki.
“The Church invented Saint Valentine by encouraging a Christian response to the traditional custom”, summarizes historian Denise Wanderley Paes de Barros, professor at Mackenzie Presbyterian College.
The date is noticed on this manner in many of the world and is studied by merchants and restaurant house owners. Curiously, what was born as a pagan celebration and later absorbed by Christianity, at present has turn into a secular celebration once more”, analyzes Domingues. “The title of the saint is used, however it’s not a Christian feast.”
Valentine’s Day
In Brazil, Valentine’s Day didn’t final. In response to Lira, the most important mistake is one other saint, Saint Anthony (1191-1231). Thought-about the preferred saint in Brazil, he’s well-known as a sportsman.
“Since childhood, devotion has been launched by the Franciscans in Brazil”, the hagiologist notes.
“Though his story says that he used to assist brides who didn’t have a dowry to get it to get married, he ended up establishing the day earlier than his birthday, June 12, as Valentine’s Day. patron saint of lovers.”
credit score, Public area
18th century canvas depicting Santa Valentine
As a advertising and marketing ploy, after all. Within the late Nineteen Forties, the publicist João Doria (1919-2000), the daddy of the present governor of São Paulo, his title, made a retailer marketing campaign with this concept and the day ended up being a hit.
And why did the Church cease celebrating Santa Valentine? Nicely, initially it have to be emphasised that the message of “holy love”, whether or not it exists or not, has not been abolished by Christianity.
In 2014, Pope Francis united 20,000 {couples} from 25 completely different international locations in St.
“It was Francis’ try to deliver faith again to the celebrations,” mentioned Maerki.
In Rome, the thought of celebrating Saint Valentine is so robust, that on the bridge the place it’s believed that he was martyred, it was customary for lovers to lock the padlock on the put up and throw the keys into the water. the river.
“The extreme weight of the pads on the pole triggered, in 2007, an influence outage, which later pressured the tip of the custom 5 years later,” mentioned Lira.
Reluctantly, the Church diminished its significance
What occurred is that it’s attainable that the complete biographical development of Valentim – or a set of Valentins – was full of fiction.
And beginning with the Second Vatican Council, there was an try by the Church to “eradicate the reminiscence of saints who could have had a legendary origin, that’s, who had been nothing greater than the creation of a fantasy”, explains Maerki.
“Through the Council, it was mentioned the necessity to make sure that there are specific saints”, emphasizes Lira.
“Consequently, some have made the celebration obligatory and turned it into one thing elective. Santa Paul VI (1897-1978), the pope, in 1969, up to date the calendar for the celebration of saints and the reminiscence of Santa Valentine turned one thing elective.”
“This was primarily as a result of presence of Valentine within the martyrology and they didn’t have many particulars about their presence. The minutes of the martyrdom had been held each Sunday, which was not possible to present full proof within the information”, he provides. a hagiologist. After a very long time, there was a priority about extra measures to indicate oneself as a Christian saint.”
Maerki notes that “it is vitally tough to say that Santa Valentine by no means existed” as a result of “as a reminiscence, a minimum of, he was and is, as a result of till at present he’s celebrated by many teams within the Church”.
Paes de Barros added that, at the moment, “the Catholic Church understood that each one [os Valentins] they had been traditionally nugatory.” When analyzing the accessible paperwork and studies, historic conflicts and coincidences had been famous within the figures buried in other places, for instance.
But when the tombs of saints find yourself being factors of spiritual pilgrimage, there are a minimum of three necessary locations in Italy once you consider Santa Valentine.
In Rome, the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin homes a cranium named after Saint Valentine. The corresponding stays are within the Basilica of Saint Valentine within the metropolis of Terni – one of many historic figures who would turn into Saint Valentine was the Bishop of Interamna, now Terni, Umbria.
Additionally in Italy, the Church of Saint George, Monselice, within the province of Padua, has a tomb which will have triggered the demise of one of many Valentines.
An skilled in facial reconstruction of saints and different historic folks, Brazilian designer Cícero Moraes recreated each Valentines in 3D, from pictures of their well-preserved skulls.
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