St. Faustinus: why has he become the saint of singles?

February 15 celebrates St. Faustinus, the patron saint of singles in spite of himself. Let’s find out why

We are all familiar with Valentine’s Day, the day of lovers, which falls on February 14. Perhaps not everyone knows, however, that February 15 is the day dedicated to singles, to those who are lonely and looking for a soul mate, the love of their life. The patron saint of this day is St. Faustinus, a young Roman knight who was imprisoned, tortured, and suffered martyrdom under Emperor Hadrian. As with St. Valentine, it is not in the end of this saint that we should look for the origins of his patronage as much as in his life and name. In fact, it seems that St. Faustinus, besides being a valiant horseman, was particularly good at helping unmarried young women find husbands, even despite their meager dowry.

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Let’s see who this saint was and how the tradition of the Feb. 15 feast of singles came about.

The story of St. Faustinus and Jovita

Actually, one cannot talk about St. Faustinus without also talking about his brother, Jovita. The two were born in Brescia, Italy, in the second century AD, and like many of their young peers belonging to the nobility they embarked on a military career. They both became knights, demonstrating great bravery and military prowess, so much so that iconography has never ceased to depict them wearing Roman military garb while holding a sword. Their lives changed drastically when they met St. Apollonius, bishop of Brescia. The holy man won them over with his personality and converted them, leading them both to Baptism. Not only that: impressed by their oratorical skills and their abilities as preachers, he encouraged both to set out on the path of evangelization, appointing Faustinus a presbyter and Jovita a deacon. This is how they are depicted in sacred art, as an alternative to military garb.

Unfortunately, these were years of harsh persecution. The Roman nobles of Brescia frowned upon the preaching of the two young men, and they invoked the intervention of Italicus, governor of Rhaetia, to eliminate them to preserve public order.

Undertaking the persecution with the approval of the Emperor Hadrian, Italicus ordered the two knights to sacrifice to the pagan gods, and when they refused, he had them imprisoned. Hadrian himself, returning from his campaign in Gaul, wanted to attend their trial, and again he enjoined them to worship the Sun god. Faustinus and Jovita not only refused, but beat the statue of the idol, and for this blasphemous act Hadrian condemned them to death. Led into the circus they were locked in a cage with some tigers, but lo and behold, instead of attacking them the beasts snuggled at their feet like tame cubs. At that sight many of those present were converted, including Aphra, the governor’s wife. The latter, furious, ordered that the two knights be flayed alive and burned at the stake. But not even the fire dared to touch them, and this new miracle caused further conversions. Transferred to Milan they were imprisoned and tortured, then sent to Rome, and led into the Colosseum, but once again no vicious animal touched them. After further failed execution attempts, the two were brought back to Brescia and beheaded on February 15. They are patrons of the city.

The day of singles

Although it is likely that the choice of having St. Faustinu’s Day coincide with the Day of Singles is just a sort of compensation for those who, being alone, cannot celebrate Valentine’s Day the day before, the tradition says that Faustino was a sort of Cupid, very good at getting maidens to find husbands and uniting happy couples for life. Add to this the assonance between St. Faustinus and St. Valentine, but also the etymology of the name Faustinus, which comes from the Latin “faustus,” propitious, bringing good luck. The Romans held in high regard the division of the faustian and nefarious days of each month, considering the latter dangerous because of negative astral influences. In this case, St. Faustine’s Day could be the lucky one for finding a soul mate.

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