There is still a church in Dublin between Guinness and Trinity College – if you are sightseeing in the Irish capital, St. Patrick’s Cathedral will most likely be suggested. Less popular, but much more romantic, especially in mid-February, is the Whitefriar Street Church just around the corner, just 650 meters away: Saint Valentine is buried here. At least his heart.
“February 14 last year was an incredible day here at Whitefriar Street Church,” said Margaret Gallagher, community spokesperson. “Several thousand people have visited the shrine here and taken part in special masses where they were able to have their rings blessed. It was a beautiful day with people of all ages.”
The rather inconspicuous Whitefriar Street Church is not necessarily on the Dublin tourist’s itinerary. Photo: Shutterstock
In fact, several churches in Italy, Germany, France, the Czech Republic and Scotland claim to have the remains, the relics, of Bishop Valentine of Terni – sometimes referred to as Valentine of Rome. The fact that the heart of the patron saint of lovers lies in Dublin, of all places, has a tragic and charming background.
The journey from Valentine’s heart to today’s deeply Catholic Ireland began with his execution on February 14, 269. The bishop had previously defied a rigorous directive from the Roman Emperor Claudius II. The monarch, known as “The Cruel,” had written a decree believing he could restrict love by simply banning marriages and engagements. Claudius II was convinced that his lack of personnel in the army was because men preferred to be with their wives and families.
Several churches in Italy, Germany, France, the Czech Republic and Scotland claim that they have the remains of Bishop Valentine of Terni.
Help with love problems, epilepsy and plague
Did Valentine, who was canonized 200 years later, suspect that this problem could not be solved without family planning anyway? Or did he simply know that love would always find its way? This is not reported. But he secretly married lovers, gave them flowers from his garden and – as the lovers went on to say – brought the newlyweds happiness for the rest of their lives.
The fact that Saint Valentine is also the patron saint of young people, travelers and beekeepers, and that he is prayed to in cases of madness, epilepsy and plague, is something that every married person should be aware of at this point for their own assessment. If that’s true? Who knows …
A statue of Saint Valentine stands in Whitefriar Street Church. Saint Valentine is buried in the church. At least his heart. Photo: dpa
Bones with certificate of authenticity
What is certain is that an Irish priest – quite famous in the 19th century – had a fan in the Vatican. Pope Gregory XVI had invited the Carmelite monk John Spratt to preach in a church in Rome because he could do it like no one else. The Pope listened in awe and, as a thank you, gave Spratt Valentine’s bones – evidenced by a certificate of authenticity that can still be viewed in the church in Dublin today.
In Latin it says that the blessed body was taken from the grave in the cemetery in Rome. Along with a small vessel soaked in his blood, Saint Valentine’s heart arrived in Dublin on November 10, 1836 in a wooden box wrapped in painted paper, tied with a red silk ribbon and sealed.
Very close to the statue there is a ring binder full of requests to the patron saint of lovers.
Back then, however, there was apparently little time for romance. It’s hard to believe that for a long time almost no one was interested in the papal gift from Rome. It was only in the 1950s that the remains of Saint Valentine, which had been increasingly forgotten after John Spratt’s death in 1871, began to receive more attention again. The life-size statue – depicting Valentine in red robes as a martyr, holding a crocus – and a new shrine attracted the attention of lovers in Ireland and the world.
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Very close to the statue there is a ring binder full of requests to the patron saint of lovers. It should help make the wife happier or protect the woman and baby during birth and do much more. These wishes, which come from the heart, are almost always about love and happiness.