St. Valentine's Day is set aside for lovers and for declarations of love, with these declarations traditionally sent anonymously. As with many traditions of this kind, it is difficult to determine the real origin of the practice. Theories put forward generally refer the custom back to Roman times, telling the story of St. Valentine, a Roman priest who assisted the Christian martyrs during the persecutions in the time of Claudius II. St. Valentine was caught and ordered to give up the Christian faith. He refused to do so and was executed on the 14th February 270 AD. In another telling, St. Valentine was executed for the cause of love, after allowing Christian soldiers to marry in spite of a ban on them imposed by Emperor Claudius Gothicus.