Valentine's Day century. Popular modern sources claim links to unspecified Greco-Roman February holidays alleged to be devoted to fertility and love to St. Valentine's Day, but prior to Chaucer in the 14th century, there were no links between the saints named Valentinus and romantic love. In Ancient Rome, Lupercalia, observed February 13–15, was an archaic rite connected to fertility. Lupercalia was a festival local to the city of Rome. The more general Festival of Juno Februa, meaning "Juno the purifier" or "the chaste Juno", was celebrated on February 13–14. Pope Gelasius I (492–496) abolished Lupercalia. Some researchers have theorized that Gelasius I
St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church (Newport, Maryland) St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church (Newport, Maryland) St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Newport is a historic church located at Newport, Charles County, Maryland. It was built about 1840, and converted for use as a parish hall in 1906. It is a rectangular brick structure, four bays in length and three bays wide. It is of simple architectural styling typical of the Greek Revival period in this locality. Located on the property is the church cemetery, which includes the burial plot of the Brent-Merrick family, including congressman William Duhurst Merrick (1793–1857). It has several impressively scaled and ornamented monuments enclosed within