Hieromartyr Valentine

Life

He was a bishop in the Italian city of Interamna. He healed the brother of the Roman tribune Fronto from illness. When the son of the renowned philosopher Crato, Cherimon, fell ill, Crato, on the advice of Fronto, summoned Bishop Valentine to Rome. Cherimon was entirely contorted, so that his head was bent down between his knees. Valentine shut himself in a room with the sick man and spent the entire night in prayer. The next day he brought Cherimon out completely healed and presented him to his father. Then Crato was baptized with his entire household and with three of his students. Cherimon left his father's house and departed with Valentine. At that time the son of the Roman eparch, Abundius, was also baptized. Enraged by this, the eparch seized Valentine, and after torturing him had him beheaded with the sword. Beheaded also were those three students of Crato: Proculus, Ephibus, and Apollonius. Their bodies were taken by Abundius and honorably buried. All suffered in the year 273 and became citizens of the heavenly Kingdom.