This
is a Saint Valentine themed page, focusing on the Christian martyr
Saint Valentine (died 3rd century, Rome; feast day February 14) whose
legend inspired the lover's holiday Valentine's Day.
According to tradition, he was a Roman priest and physician who died
during the persecution of Christians by the emperor Claudius II
Gothicus and was buried on the Via Flaminia. Saint Valentine
is believed to have been executed for performing secret marriages at a
time when young men were forbidden to wed ( the Emperor Claudius II
maintained that single men made the best soldiers). While awaiting
execution in prison, it is said that Valentine befriended Julia, the
blind daughter of his jailer. On the eve of his execution he sent her a
note containing a yellow crocus and the message, "From your Valentine".
Upon receiving the note, Julia is believed to have looked
down at the crocus and to have seen for the first time in her
life. In AD 498 Pope Gelasius named February 14 Saint
Valentine's Day to acknowledge the miracle and the crocus became known
as St Valentine's flower. The legend of the bishop of Terni,
Italy (also called Valentine and martyred in Rome) may refer to the
same person.
Above
you can see how one might add a title to the sample graphic.
A
blank of the title clip art is in the .zip file below.
If
you
don't have a graphic program capable of doing that, e-mail
me and I will do it for you as time allows. Below you will
find
the
graphic divider and bullet designed for this page.
Blank buttons
plus samples are included as shown on the page in the zip file.
Valentine
coordinating navigation graphics that could be placed at the
bottom of each page if appropriate are also included.
Prior to the
creation of the new Catholic calendar (1969), the church in Rome that
had been dedicated to Saint Valentine observed his feast day by, among
other things, displaying his reputed skull surrounded by roses.
In 1836, relics
that were exhumed from the catacombs of Saint Hippolytus on the Via
Tiburtina were identified with St Valentine and placed in a gilded
casket. The relics were transported and donated to the Whitefriar
Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland by Pope Gregory XVI.
Tourists visit the saintly remains on St. Valentine's Day, when
the casket is carried in solemn procession to the high altar for a
special Mass dedicated to young people and all those in love.
Until 1969, the
Catholic Church formally recognized a total of eleven Valentine's days.
Besides February 14, these include January 7, May 2, July 16,
August 31, September 2, October 25, November 1 and November 3, November
11, November 13, and December 16. Valentin Faustino Berri Ochoa,
whose saint's day is November 1, lived in the nineteenth century.
The Orthodox Church recognizes a somewhat different list of
Valentine's days.
In the Middle Ages,
young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines
would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one
week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy
for other people to know how you are feeling.
The first
valentine on record was sent in 1415 by Charles, duke of Orleans, to
his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. The
valentine is on display in the British Library. In the 1840s a
Massachusetts woman called Esther Howland came up with the idea of
mass-producing Valentine's Day cards; now, about a billion are sent
yearly.
Font used for
the sample title and buttons above
is called: "Parchment"
To
save, you may
download the .zip file which includes the Christian Saint Valentine
graphics, clip art, instructions and HTML template. Do not
link to the graphics on this page! Please note that this set
is free to use on personal websites only (donations are always
appreciated). Those sites that hope to generate income
(business site) there is a one time $10 minimum requested donation
payable through Pay Pal.
Whether it is a
commercial or personal web site, a text link to this
site MUST appear on all pages you use these designs on. Below
is a suggested format:
Crystal
Cloud
Graphics
is a home based graphic design and drafting firm that has been in
business
since 1978. It is owned and operated by Kythera
Ann.
If you would like to commission a specially designed theme or graphic
please
send an e-mail.
Web
Host: ELYSIUMGATES.COM
If you experience any problems with this
site,
please contact the web
mistress.
Copyright 1998 - 2021 Crystal Cloud
Graphics