Legends

St Valentine was not Irish – but he is now

Posted on Author Antoine P Borg
A photo of the altar at White Friar Street Church - Dublin, Ireland

I’ve written about relics of saints before. They exist because people believe proximity to part of a saint means  ‘something’ can rub off. Dublin has the remains of St Valentine and I went to take a look.

White Friar Street church in Dublin seems like any other church from the outside. It sits on a quiet street and, for some reason, the entrance is from Aungier street. It took me a few minutes of exasperated searching before I found the entrance on the other side of the block.

Inside the church light strains through stained glass windows. The mosaic work surrounding the main altar is impressive. It is spacious without being cavernous. Like most Catholic churches you can wander round if there are no ceremonies taking place. I took the opportunity to visit on a Sunday morning with good friends of mine, Francois and Helene.

I wanted to visit because I knew St Valentine’s remains are here. It’s fair to say he’s one of the better known saints. Many non-Catholics are aware of Valentine’s day after all.

A photo of stained glass in White Friar Street Church - Dublin, Ireland
Stained glass in White Friar Street Church – Dublin, Ireland

They buried him in Rome and the authorities built a church over his grave. Early in the nineteenth century restoration work uncovered his remains. They also found a vial stained with his blood and sundry artefacts. This was about the time when Irish preacher John Spratt was in Rome. He was a gifted orator and Romans flocked to hear him preach. As a token of appreciation and respect, Pope Gregory XVI gave him the remains of St Valentine1.

On November 10, 1836, Fr Spratt returned to Dublin. The faithful carried St Valentine’s remains in a solemn procession through the city. When Fr Spratt died, interest in St Valentine began to wane1. This suggests he was central to keeping the faith alive. The economic and political context at the time can’t be ignored. The United Kingdom and Ireland had enacted the Acts of the Union in 1800. This created a single United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland2. Government moved to London leading Dublin to become an administrative city. It suffered great economic decline and became less important than even Belfast. Many people emigrated. I would argue this contributed to a lack of interest in St Valentine as much as anything else.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the authorities renovated the church. They returned St Valentine’s remains to prominence. Today there is an altar and a shrine for the saint1. The box containing his remains is nondescript and bears a plaque:

“This shrine contains the sacred body of SAINT VALENTINUS the martyr, together with a small vessel tinged with his blood.” 3

A small note next to it explains the history of Saint Valentine. It ends with:

“The official Vatican letter which accompanied the reliquary tells us the relics are genuinely those of Saint Valentine. The relics were placed in the casket and sealed with the seal of the Holy See.“3

A photo of the altar at White Friar Street Church - Dublin, Ireland
Altar at White Friar Street Church – Dublin, Ireland

There’s one fact they don’t talk about. The Vatican has also certified that Saint Valentine’s shoulder blades are in the Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Prague!

Share this with someone who’s interested in relics of saints

  1. Saint Valentine; White Friar Street Church website; (Retrieved 2018-09-03) [↩][↩][↩]
  2. Act of the Union (Ireland); Legislation.gov.uk; 1801-01-18[↩]
  3. Observed in the church by author; 2017-10-17[↩][↩]