Lovers in Love: 2012

Monday 25 June 2012

Tuesday 14 February 2012

Introducing ... a Labour of Love

Welcome to Lovers in Love - the website that explores the concept and practice of love in all of its incarnations and wonder.

This website represents a labour love and promises to be all that the name suggests. Love and the objects of affections to which it relates can include people, places, things or even that which is intangible or inexpressible in simple language terms. But our main preoccupation is with human love and how that is expressed towards one and other.

We have chosen St. Valentine's Day as the day to launch this website. This is the occasion when love and affection between intimate companions is celebrated the world over. Little is known of the person to whom this feast day is dedicated. Even the connection to what we now associated with the annual February 14th celebration is tenuous. According to Wikipedia (that great bastion of love for knowledge!):

The first representation of Saint Valentine appeared in the Nuremberg Chronicle (1493); alongside the woodcut portrait of Valentine, the text states that he was a Roman priest martyred during the reign of Claudius II, known as Claudius Gothicus. He was arrested and imprisoned upon being caught marrying Christian couples and otherwise aiding Christians who were at the time being persecuted by Claudius in Rome. Helping Christians at this time was considered a crime. Claudius took a liking to this prisoner – until Valentinus tried to convert the Emperor – whereupon this priest was condemned to death.

Whatever the origins, it is in keeping with the spirit of the tradition that we dedicate this project to lovers everywhere. Just keep it clean and try not to traumatise anyone!