Finding Saint Valentine In Dublin, Ireland

One afternoon, while walking back to our hotel from the Temple Bar area of Dublin, Ireland, we saw a street sign arrow that pointed southwest and stated " The relics of Saint Valentine." Intrigued, I looked in my travel guide and saw that the Whitefriar Street Church (photo below) was the repository for these relics, and I paid a visit the next day.

 

The Whitefriar Street Carmelite Catholic Church is located at 56 Aungier St. It was built in 1827, and stands on the site of a 16th-century Carmelite priory.

Inside the main body of the church, to the right side, is a shrine to St. Valentine. A casket sits beneath the marble altar in a niche that is protected by an ornate iron and glass gate. Above the altar stands a life-sized commemorative statue of the saint set into a marble mosaic alcove.

A casket sits beneath the marble altar in a niche that is protected by an ornate iron and glass gate. There is a sign on the casket that says: "This shrine contains the sacred body of Saint Valentinus the Martyr, together with a small vessel tinged with his blood."

According to the Whitefriar Street Church website:

"In 1835 an Irish Carmelite by the name of John Spratt was visiting Rome. He was well known in Ireland for his skills as a preacher and also for his work among the poor and destitute in Dublin’s Liberties area. He was also responsible for the building of the new church to Our Lady of Mount Carmel at Whitefriar Street. While he was in Rome he was asked to preach at the famous Jesuit Church in the city, the Gesu. Apparently, his fame as a preacher had gone before him, no doubt brought by some Jesuits who had been in Dublin. The elite of Rome flocked to hear him and he received many tokens of esteem from the doyens of the Church. One such token came from Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846) and were the remains of Saint Valentine."

The website also states: "The Reliquary contains some of the remains of St Valentine – it is not claimed that all of his remains are found in this casket." It is thought that the Church of Praxedes, in Rome, Italy, also contains some of the remains of the saint.

The Irish Province of the Order of the Carmelites website (same link as above) also has very interesting information about the legend of Saint Valentine. beginning with ancient Rome, as February 14th was a holiday to honor Juno - the Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses and whom the Romans knew as the Goddess of women and marriage, and culminating with the martyrdom on February 14th, in either 269 or 270 of Valentinus for his belief in Christ. In 496 Pope Gelasius, I named February 14 as Saint Valentine’s Day. From that day, on each Valentine’s Day, messages of affection, love, and devotion have been exchanged all around the world.

After Mass is celebrated on St. Valentine's Day in the Whitefriar Church, a short ceremony for the "Blessing of Rings" is held for those about to be married. On the altar in front of the statue are open books where visitors can write their intentions for St. Valentine, and of course, I added mine, and also a sincere thank you for almost 34 years of happy marriage!

Also of note in the Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church was a beautiful shrine that contained a Flemish oak statue of Mary holding the Christ child that dates to the late 15th century or early 16th century and is called “Our Lady of Dublin.” It is believed to be the only wooden statue of its kind to escape destruction when Ireland's monasteries were sacked at the time of the Reformation. (click on photo to enlarge to see the statue's details)

Dublin was certainly a city full of wonderful surprises, and finding St. Valentine one was one of the most pleasant and unexpected!

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