14/02/2022
Happy St Valentine's Day to you and your loved ones!
Did you know St. Valentine's heart can be found in Dublin?!❤️
St Valentine, the patron saint of love (and beekeeping!) was a holy priest who was beheaded on February 14th around 270AD. His remains were made into relics, which was often the case with martyrs at the time.
In 1835, an Irish priest, John Spratt, was visiting Rome. Apparently, his fame as a preacher had gone before him, and priests of Rome flocked to hear him. Whilst in Rome, he received many gifts, and one of these tokens were the remains of Saint Valentine from Pope Gregory himself.
On November 10, 1836, the Reliquary containing the remains arrived in Dublin and were brought to Whitefriar Street Church where they were received by Archbishop Murray of Dublin.
Over the years, they were put in storage but rediscovered in the 1950s during a major renovation of the church.
A shrine was built to house the remains, and it is still visited by many every year who pray for love. 💘
