SOME SAINTS DAYS IN FEBRUARY
1 February St Brigit of Kildare ( 451-525 )
There are variations of the name of Brigit , especially Bridget and Bride . The nickname of the Saint is Mary of the Gael . She is one of Ireland ’ s patron saints along with St Patrick and St Columba . She was an early Christian nun , abbess and founder of several monasteries . St Brigit ’ s Day , or Imboic in Gaelic , marks one of the quarter days in the pagan year , which marked the beginning of spring , of lambing and lactation in cattle . St Brigit is one of the few saints which stand between pagan mythology , Druidism and Christian spirituality , she is sometimes confused with the Celtic goddess Brigid , venerated by the Brigantes in Northern England , a goddess of harvest and births .
St Brigit is the most famous female leader of the early Celtic church and also the patron saint of Learning . She was born in County Louth . Her parents were possibly a pagan chieftain , also known as a Druid and wizard , and Brocca , a Pictish slave , baptised by St Patrick . St Brigit is venerated for her generosity to the poor , she also founded a school of art and metalwork , the scriptorium there produced the Book of Kildare . Brigit died leaving a cathedral city and school famous all over Europe . Most of her miracles are related to healing and domestic tasks . Hundreds of place-names in her honour are found in Scotland and Ireland , including Kilbride and Bridewell .
14 February St Valentine ( died probably AD 270 )
Latin Valentinus , this is the name of several martyred saints of ancient Rome , the name is derived from Valens = worthy , strong . Nothing is known of the life of the saint whose feast day is the 14 February , except his name and that he was buried at the Via Flaminia North of Rome . The Feast Day was established in 496 by Pope Gelasius I , he appears to have been a priest in Rome , or a bishop in Terni , Italy .
A first picture of the Saint appeared in the Nuremberg Chronicle ( 1493 ). The text there states that Valentine was a Roman priest , martyred during the reign of Claudius II , also known as Claudius Gothicus , dates vary : 260 . 270 , 273 . He was to have been arrested and imprisoned because he married Christian couples and assisted Christians in general , while they were persecuted in Rome .
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