Valentines

Whitefriar St Church

The story of how the remains of St. Valentine came to Ireland started way back in the 17th century. At the time there was a Carmelite priest in Dublin, in the Liberties, called Fr. John Spratt. By all accounts he seems to have been a man of boundless energy as he was very much involved with the poor and destitute of the area. He began the building of the present Church in 1825 which was designed by Sir George Papworth, who was also responsible for building the Pro Cathedral the previous year, 1824.

Saint Valentine
The Irish Connection:

In 1835, he visited Rome. While there he was asked to preach at the famous Jesuit Church, the Gesu. Apparently his fame as a preacher had gone before him probably brought by some Jesuits who had been in Dublin. The elite of Rome flocked to hear him and he received many tokens of esteem from the doyens of the church. Pope Gregory XVI (16th) made him a gift of the remains of St. Valentine.

On November 10th, 1836 the remains of the Saint arrived in Dublin and were brought to Whitefriar St. Church. The Archbishop of Dublin at the time, Dr. Murray, received the remains and presided at the Solemn High Mass to mark the occasion.

For some time, the presence of the remains of St. Valentine in Whitefriar St. Church, caused the proverbial seven day wonder. Then, with the death of Fr. Spratt, devotion began to disappear and the relics from the Church, to be relegated to some back room to collect dust.

40 years ago, as a result of major renovations, St. Valentine has been restored to his rightful place with a specially designed altar and shrine. Irene Broe has carved a statue depicting the Saint holding a crocus plant, the symbol of spring.
Translation of letter accompanying the body of St. Valentine, click here.