St. Valentine Patron Saint of Epilepsy

Special to EpilepsyUSA
Posted: February 8, 2005

Most people think of Saint Valentine, for whom Valentine's Day is named, as the patron of lovers. But, the Third Century Roman Christian martyr also has a special place in history as the patron of people with epilepsy.

Seizures in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries were widely viewed as the result of a curse or work of demonic forces. People with seizures made pilgrimages to the Priory of St. Valentine, a monastery on the border between France and Germany, for spiritual healing from the neurological condition.

How St. Valentine became the patron saint of choice is uncertain. Epilepsy was once known as the “falling sickness” because some seizures cause a person to lose consciousness and fall down. One theorist points out that Valentine sounds much like the German word for "fallen."

In early Mesopotamia, folk medicines were the norm as treatments for people with "falling sickness." The Middle Ages were a veritable heyday for charlatans offering cures for epilepsy that ranged from blood-letting to burning. Even as recently as the 1800s, institutionalization was a common response when people developed seizure disorders.

Today, medical research and an increasing variety of scientifically proven therapies mean there is a lot less falling associated with epilepsy. And, with proper treatment, the majority of the 2.5 million people with epilepsy in the United States have the chance of a better life.

While the Epilepsy Foundation points to Valentine's Day as a reminder of the progress made on behalf of people with seizures, the Foundation also highlights the critical need for more research into therapies that will produce fewer side effects and bring relief to those whose seizures are not yet controlled.