February 14, 2023 / 12:10 p.m
In the church of Santa María in Cosmedín, located in the center of Rome (Italy), what is believed to be the skull of the patron saint of lovers, Saint Valentine, is kept as a relic.
But it’s not the only one, there are at least three other heads that different traditions point to as that of the saintand that are revered in countries like Spain or Poland.
Every February 14, Valentine’s Day is celebrated, beheaded in Rome for marrying and assisting couples who wanted to build a Christian home, despite the prohibition by the Roman Emperor Claudius II.
Valentine was born in the year 175 in the city of Terni, a hundred kilometers from the Italian capital. In his hometown, his remains also lie beneath one of the side altars of the Basilica that bears his name.
In the third century, at the time in which Christianity was persecuted, the saint dedicated himself to the service of the community of his homeland. Saint Valentine risked his life many times to administer the sacraments, especially that of marriage.
There are two Spanish Catholic temples that also claim to house the true head of the saint who was decapitated on February 14.
These are the church of San Antón in Madrid, the Spanish capital, and the Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor in the Spanish city of Toro, in Zamora.
Likewise, another of the supposed skulls of the saint of lovers is kept in Chelmno, in Poland.
The skull most revered by the faithful is the one found in the Roman church of Santa María in Cosmedínwhere it is kept in a glass reliquary surrounded by flowers.
In addition to these skulls, whose authenticity has not been proven, other relics of the saint are venerated in cities such as Dublin (Ireland), Roquemaure (France), Glasgow (Scotland), and Florissant (Missouri, United States).