Our Hotel and Spa is an increasingly popular place for couples who gift each other relaxation days in the pools and thermal baths under the stars.
I’d say that Montegrotto Terme and Valentine’s Day is a match made in heaven, and that is why we think it only right to take a little time to tell those who don’t already know who Saint Valentine was.
We’ll try and make a long story short to understand why Saint Valentine is celebrated the world over.
Valentine’s day is the quintessential day of lovers. It falls every 14 February, the day it is said this saint renews his miracles of love.
How come Valentine was chosen in the role of protector of lovers?
The origins coincide with the Catholic church’s attempt to «Christianize» the pagan fertility rite.
For the ancient Romans, February was the time of year in which you prepared for the season of rebirth.
Mid-month, right up to the fourth century B.C., marked the start of the Lupercalia festivities, held to keep wolves away from farmed land. The priests of this order entered the cave in which the she-wolf had breast-fed Romulus and Remus, as legend has it, and here they made propitiatory sacrifices. Meanwhile, the city streets were spattered with animal blood. The names of men and women who worshipped this God were put in an urn and mixed up, then a child would draw the names of some couples who would then live together in intimacy for a year, thereby concluding the fertility rite.
The forefathers of the Church, determined to put an end to this immoral practice, wanted to find a saint for lovers to replace the immoral Lupercus.
496 A.D. Pope Gelasius suppressed this pagan festival decreeing that the cult of Saint Valentine be followed.
The story goes that Saint Valentine officiated at the marriage of a young Christian woman and a pagan legionnaire, letting love triumph above religious barriers.
Martyred on 14 February 243 under the emperor Aurelian, many lovers began to seek the benediction and beatification of Saint Valentine, as it was due to him that large numbers of initially stopped and seemingly impossible marriages were celebrated.
This aside, there are lots of legends about him, perhaps the most significant being that one day, Saint Valentine hears a young couple walking past his garden and having an argument. He approaches them with a rose in his hand and gives it to them, urging them to make peace holding its stem together, being careful not to get hurt and praying the Lord to keep their love alive. Some time later the couple asked him to bless their marriage, and when the story got around, many decided to go on pilgrimage to the Bishop of Terni on the 14th of every month, the day dedicated to blessings. The date then became restricted to February only, as this was the day that Saint Valentine died in 273. His relics can still be seen to this day
In modern times, it has become somewhat commercialized, but every day is a good day to make a loving gesture to the light of our life!
If you have any doubts about this Valentine’s Day 2018, Relilax can recommend some gifts you can enjoy together with your partner.
A great idea to spend a night among the spa pools and spa with a romantic meal or a special day at the spa… may love conquer all!
Take a look at our offers to find the right one for you and you can alsocontact us to create a “tailored” solution.