Today, 14th February, will see more than 25 million lovers – or would-be lovers – send Valentine’s Day cards to the object of their affections. But who was St Valentine? And why is he associated with hearts, roses and chocolate? According to legend, the man we now know as St Valentine was a priest who clandestinely performed marriages for soldiers of the Roman Empire (who at the time were forbidden by the Emperor to wed), handing them parchment hearts to remind them of their

Next week is St Valentine's Day, when love will inspire the purchase of red roses and chocolates on every high street, the sealing of envelopes with lipstick kisses, and the writing of poetry both good and excruciating. Here, to mark this most romantic day of the year, are some images by artists inspired by love... I was lucky enough to see The Kiss by Gustav Klimt in a gallery in Vienna, and it is stunning, with the gold surrounding the couple in their meadow of flowers seem

OK. I admit it. I’m a hopeless romantic. I adore St Valentine’s Day. What’s not to like in a celebration of love? I know people complain that it’s all commercialised these days, but it doesn’t have to be. What could be more romantic than a homemade card (Come on guys – a piece of paper with a heart drawn on it – really not hard) and a hand-delivered envelope Sealed With A Loving Kiss? Like so many martyrs of the early Common Era, St Valentine (or the most likely candidate to