8 Other Patron Saints of Love Besides St. Valentine

February 14 marks Valentine’s Day, a holiday for celebrating romantic relationships (and enjoying roses, chocolate, and candy conversation hearts). The occasion honors St. Valentine, who is famously regarded as the patron saint of love. But he’s not the only one associated with affection and romance. There are several other saints who are connected to love in its many forms—whether romantic, friendship, or self-love.  

1. St. Anne
2. St. Anthony
3. St. Dwynwen
4. St. John the Evangelist
5. St. Mél of Ardagh
6. St. Nicholas of Myra
7. St. Priscilla
8. St. Raphael the Archangel

St. Anne

In the Bible, St. Anne was the mother of Mary and the grandmother of Jesus; she is also the patron saint for unmarried women and for those trying to find a spouse. Her feast day is celebrated on July 26. Some Catholic women utter the prayer “St. Anne, St. Anne, find me a man” during their quests for love. 

St. Anthony

St. Anthony was born in Portugal in the late 12th century. He’s one of the patron saints of marriage, particularly in his home country as well as a number of countries in Latin America. He is also viewed as the patron saint of lost items, and has therefore come to be viewed as the patron saint of lost love, too. Those seeking a spouse will sometimes perform rituals to an image of him with the hope that the saint will help fulfill their wish. People will leave coins in front of St. Anthony’s image; when this is not successful, those searching for love will sometimes turn his image upside-down as an act of revenge.

St. Dwynwen

St. Dwynwen was a 5th-century Welsh princess. According to legend her father forbade her from marrying Maelon, the man she loved, as she had been betrothed to someone else. An angel turned Maelon into a block of ice after Dwynwen prayed that she would no longer love him. The despairing princess then sought further divine intervention. God then granted her wishes that Maelon would be thawed and that all lovers would have their dreams fulfilled. Dwynwen agreed to remain unmarried and devoted the rest of her life to serving her religion. 

St. John the Evangelist

In the Bible, St. John the Evangelist was one of the four Apostles of Christ and author of one of the Gospels. He went to Jesus’s tomb after his death and is the only one whom Jesus is described as having loved in the New Testament. His status as a devoted friend to Jesus is one of the reasons why he has come to be known as a patron saint of love, friendship, and loyalty; he is sometimes referred to as the “Apostle of Love.”

St. Mél of Ardagh

St. Mél of Ardagh is regarded in Ireland as the patron saint of being single and loving oneself. His feast day is celebrated on February 7—a week before Valentine’s Day—and has become a celebration of being solo and without permanent romantic attachments. As St. Mél is also the patron saint of Longford, it is said to be unlucky for a woman from Longford to not kiss someone on this day. 

St. Nicholas of Myra

St. Nicholas of Myra—yes, the same St. Nicholas who helped inspire Santa Claus—was noted for his generosity in many forms. One such legend is associated with love, earning him a reputation as the patron saint of young people looking for a spouse. Among his most famous acts was giving gold to the family with three daughters so the parents could afford their dowries, which saved the young women from the threat of being put into brothels and gave them the means to leave their home and pursue marriages. 

St. Priscilla

St. Priscilla, the patron saint of good marriages, is an important saint in the Greek Orthodox Church. She was married to Aquila, who has also acquired the status of sainthood. The couple worked closely together in many areas of their lives and demonstrated a strength in their love and marriage. References to them in religious texts mention Priscilla’s name before Aquila’s—rather than listing the husband’s name first—which shows the high esteem in which she was held. 

St. Raphael the Archangel

St. Valentine is often viewed as a saint for all forms of romantic love, but not everyone agrees with this. In 2009, the Catholic Church in the UK even put out a statement saying people should actually pray to St. Raphael the Archangel when seeking love, as St. Valentine was the saint of love for those who had already found someone. Legend says that one of the acts that helped St. Raphael achieve his status among saints was his assistance in the marriage of Tobias and Sarah, as the latter had experienced the deaths of several potential husbands in the past.

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