Gloria and all listers, Valentin (feminine Valentine) does exist in Alsace, but is not very common. The surname VALENTIN also occurs. Only one Catholic parish church is dedicated to this saint: Attenschwiller, near the Swiss border, not from from Basel. In Medieval hagiotherapy (i.e. Catholic saints supposed to heal specific diseases), saint Valentin was associated to epilepsy. The reason why seems to be the homology between the German pronounciation ("Fallentin") and "fallende Krankheit" (litt. "falling disease") designating epilepsy. In Rouffach there was a small convent called "prieuré Saint Valentin" were many people suffering from this disease and other similar disorders came as pilgrims with the hope to heal. I have found a trace of this pilgrimage as far as in Allgäu, Bavaria. The convent disappeared after the 1789 Revolution. In 1909, when the authorities looked for a site where to build the psychiatric hospital for the Departement haut-Rhin, they chose Rouffach - however for other reasons than the past convent. Source: G. LESER, Rouffach, de l'asile au centre hospitalier, 90 ans de psychiatrie, 1999. Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! Etienne > Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2008 20:58:38 +0900 > From: Gloria Ishida <gfb-ishida@gol.com> > > With St. Valentine's Day approaching, I'm wondering if Etienne or Ewald > could throw any light on why so many Alsatian men in the late 17th and > 18th centuries were name "Valentin"? There were many in my family and > connected families. > > Gloria I