Who is the Welsh saint associated with love, celebrated on January 25?

The Welsh saint associated with love and celebrated on January 25 is Saint Dwynwen.

Saint Dwynwen is regarded as the Welsh patron saint of lovers, and Dydd Santes Dwynwen—Saint Dwynwen’s Day—is often described as the Welsh equivalent of Valentine’s Day. The observance falls on January 25, several weeks before February 14, and is marked with cards, romantic gatherings, concerts, and gifts.

The traditional story says Dwynwen fell in love with Maelon Dafodrill but could not marry him. In one version, she prayed for help and received a potion that turned Maelon to ice. After God granted her requests, she withdrew to Ynys Llanddwyn, an island off Anglesey, where she established a religious community.

Details of Dwynwen’s life are mixed with folklore, and historians cannot treat every part of the legend as verified biography. She is also associated with sick animals. Saint David, by contrast, is the patron saint of Wales and is celebrated on March 1, not January 25.