THIS saint was a priest of the Roman Church, and was put in chains by Claudius II. for having assisted the martyrs during the Emperor's persecution of the Christians. Calpurnius, the prefect of the city, who had charge of him, intrusted him to the care of Asterius, his chief officer. S. Valentine used his opportunity, and preached the faith to his guard, and restored sight to his adopted daughter. Asterius was converted and baptized with his whole family, and confirmed by a bishop named Callistus. Claudius hearing this, condemned Valentine to be beaten with clubs, and afterwards beheaded. He suffered on the Flaminian Way, on February 14th, a.d. 269.
The body of S. Valentine is preserved in the Church of S. Praxedis, in Rome; but the head in that of S. Sebastian. Much difficulty is caused by the great number of relics of saints called Valentine, commemorated on the same day, but of whose acts nothing is known.
There is a S. Valentine, bishop and martyr, whose body is preserved at Baga, in the Asturias, and the head at Toro, on the Douro.
The body of a S. Valentine, together with that of a S. Albinus, and S, Paulianus, Bishop of Rieux, are preserved at Annecy. The body of another S. Valentine, M. at Rome, was extracted from the cemetery of S. Calixtus, and given by Pope Urban VIII. to the monastery of Socuellamos, in Albacete, in Spain. Another body claiming to be that of a S. Valentine, Roman martyr, is venerated in Belgium, at Hamme; this body was extracted from the catacomb of S. Laurence on the Flaminian Way, and given by Pope Gregory XV., in 1623, to Count Louis Egmont; part of these relics were translated to Armentières on the Lys, upon the French frontier. Again, another body of a S. Valentine, martyr at Rome, was found in the catacomb of S. Cyriac, and was given in 1651 to the Jesuits of Ghent. The name was so common in the later period of the Roman Empire, that it is probable there were many martyrs of the same name. This is proved by the discovery in the catacombs of three, with the palm branch and bottle of blood. Besides, the ancient Martyrology, called that of S. Jerome, mentions on this day, "In Africa, Valentine and twenty-four soldiers, martyrs," of whom nothing further is known. There was also a S. Valentine, first Bishop of Teramo, in Umbria, who having healed the crippled son of one Crato, a citizen of distinction, was seized and beheaded by order of the governor, about the year 273.
S. ABRAHAM, B. C.
(ABOUT A.D. 390.)
[Greek Menæa. Authority:—The Philotheus of Theodoret, c. 17.]
Abraham was a native of Cyrus in Syria, and a monk, who, moved by desire to spread the kingdom of God, visited the Lebanon in the quality of a merchant buying nuts. And whilst there he collected the Christians into his hut, and together they recited the divine office in a low tone. But when the heathen heard the subdued strains of music, they supposed that they were engaged in incantations, and assembled about the house, then climbed upon the roof, broke it, and poured down dust and sand upon those within, to choke and bury them. However some of the elders of the village interfered, and the half-stifled Christians were drawn out of the house, and bidden to depart. After this the taxgatherers of the Emperor came round, and the people being hardly able to pay, Abraham went to Emesa and begged the money, and then, returning, paid the tax for the whole village, thereby completely conciliating the barbarous people, who at once insisted on his remaining among them, and teaching them the way of God. He accordingly sought priest's orders, and became their pastor for three years, till he was elected Bishop of Charan. In his new position he remained a monk, living on lettuces and water, and never using a bed for rest, nor fire for warmth. Every night he chanted forty hymns, interspersed with prayer, and slept seated in his chair. The Emperor Theodosius visited him, having heard of his fame, and found him a poor old man in a country smock, unable to speak a word of Greek.