Valentine's Day: Who does the festival of lovers owe its name to?. When lovers pamper each other with flowers and other presents on February 14th, they are invoking St.
Valentine. It is most common to see Valentine, who worked as a priest or bishop in Rome or Terni, as the patron saint of lovers. The sources for his life are unclear, but Valentine was probably murdered in the third century. A legend says that he rebelled against Emperor Claudius II by illegally marrying young couples according to Christian ceremonies.