St. Valentine is known the world over as the patron saint of love. On February 14th every year, couples and those looking for love flock to Whitefriar Street in Dublin where his remains lie.

Large crowds gather every year on Valentine’s Day and in the weeks leading up to it at the shrine of St. Valentine at the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel to celebrate and wish for love and to have their rings blessed.

The story starts back in 1835 with an Irish Carmelite called Fr. John Spratt, who was a talented and well known preacher and advocate for the poor in Dublin’s Liberties area and was building a new church at Whitefriar Street. On a visit to Rome, large crowds came to hear him preach. As a result, he received many gifts, one of which was the remains of St. Valentine from Pope Gregory XVI (1831 – 1846).

The remains arrived in Dublin on November 10th, 1836 where they were brought by a procession to the church and received by Archbishop Murray of Dublin. There was huge interest in the remains initially but when Fr. Spratt died the interest waned and they were actually put in to storage.  

However, when the church was renovated in the 1950’s the remains were rediscovered and there was actually an altar and shrine built to contain them and allow people to come and venerate them. There is now a beautiful statue there, carved by Irene Broe (1923 – 1992). She also carved the statue of St. Clare in the Church of St. Adam and Eve, Dublin. The sculpture shows St. Valentine as a saint in the red vestments representing him as a martyr and he is holding a crocus flower in his hand. The shrine is found on the right hand side of the church and the casket is beneath a marble altar protected by an iron and glass gate.

The letter that accompanied the remains of St. Valentine states the following in Latin verifying their authenticity:

St. Valentine
We, Charles, by the divine mercy, Bishop of Sabina of the Holy Roman Church, cardinal Odescalchi arch priest of the sacred Liberian Basilica, Vicar General of our most Holy Father the Pope and Judge in ordinary of the Roman Curia and of its districts, etc., etc.

To all and everyone who shall inspect these our present letters, we certify and attest, that for the greater glory of the omnipotent God and veneration of his saints, we have freely given to the Very Reverend Father Spratt, Master of Sacred Theology of the Order of Calced Carmelites of the convent of that Order at Dublin, in Ireland, the blessed body of St Valentine, martyr, which we ourselves by the command of the most Holy Father Pope Gregory XVI on the 27th day of December 1835, have taken out of the cemetery of St Hippolytus in the Tiburtine Way, together with a small vessel tinged with his blood and have deposited them in a wooden case covered with painted paper, well closed, tied with a red silk ribbon and sealed with our seals and we have so delivered and consigned to him, and we have granted unto him power in the Lord, to the end that he may retain to himself, give to others, transmit beyond the city (Rome) and in any church, oratory or chapel, to expose and place the said blessed holy body for the public veneration of the faithful without, however, an Office and Mass, conformably to the decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, promulgated on the 11th day of August 1691.

In testimony whereof, these letters, testimonial subscribed with our hand, and sealed with our seal, we have directed to be expedited by the undersigned keeper of sacred relics.

Rome, from our Palace, the 29th day of the month of January 1836.
C.Cardinal vicar
Regd. Tom 3. Page 291
Philip Ludovici Pro-Custos

There are some particularly evocative ceremonies associated with St. Valentine at Whitefriar Street Church. The shrine is visited by couples all through the year who pray to St. Valentine. On Valentine’s Day there is traditionally a Blessing of the Rings for couples who are about to be married. On 14th February, the reliquary which contains the remains is moved from underneath the side-altar and put on the high altar in the church and St. Valentine is venerated at the masses.

Celebrate St. Valentine – the patron saint of love - on your next visit to Dublin!