The Shrine of St. Valentine

While walking through Dublin, we were caught in the rain and decided to take shelter inside the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, commonly known as Whitefriar Street Church. What began as an escape from the weather led us to one of Dublin’s most unexpected religious treasures: the Shrine of St. Valentine.

The church stands on the site of a medieval Carmelite priory that was surrendered during the Protestant Reformation in 1539. The Carmelites eventually returned to the area, and the present church, designed by George Papworth, was consecrated in 1827. It was later enlarged as its congregation grew and today contains numerous shrines, including those dedicated to Our Lady of Dublin, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Jude and St. Valentine.

Until our visit, we knew little about the saint whose name had become associated with Valentine’s Day. Valentine is traditionally remembered as a Christian priest who was martyred in Rome during the third century. Although several stories surround his life, later tradition connected him with faithful love, eventually giving rise to the celebration observed on February 14.

The Dublin shrine contains a reliquary holding remains attributed to St. Valentine, including several small bones and a vessel said to bear traces of his blood. The relics were presented to the Irish Carmelite preacher Father John Spratt by Pope Gregory XVI after Spratt visited Rome in 1835. They arrived in Dublin in a solemn procession on November 10, 1836.

We had entered simply to get out of the rain, unaware that relics of one of the world’s best-known saints rested inside a church with such a long Carmelite history. It was another reminder that some of the most memorable discoveries while traveling are not planned. They are found by stepping through an open door.