On a street between St Stephen’s Green and St Patrick’s Cathedral, a pair of gold statues mark the entrance to Whitefriar Street Church. Run by the Carmelite community, the church and gift shop are filled with an abundance of religious statuary. It’s a quiet oasis in Dublin City Centre and welcomes a steady stream of devout visitors throughout the day.
A side altar houses something of special interest, the relics of St Valentine… yes, the guy who has the holiday named after him. There’s a notebook on hand to document special prayers from visitors, and a plaque states:
This shrine contains the sacred body of Saint Valentinus the Martyr, together with a small vessel tinged with his blood.
- Irish Province of the Order of Carmelites: Shrine of St Valentine
- Irish Historical Mysteries: St Valentine in Dublin
- Uptake: Visiting St. Valentine in Dublin
- Photo Credits: Corey Taratuta and A. Currell
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- St Valentine Shrine – Photo by Corey Taratuta
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- Statue at Whitefriar Street Church – Photo by Corey Taratuta
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- Messages left at St Valentine’s shrine – Photo by Corey Taratuta
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- St Valentine Reliquary – Photo by A Currell via Flickr Creative Commons
Written by Corey Taratuta
Corey hosts the Irish Fireside podcast and blog which has been named Best Blog of the Diaspora by the Irish Web Awards. His work has appeared on Google Field Trip, www.Lonely Planet.com, National Public Radio, www.WanderingEducators.com, www.BritMums.com, www.DiscoveryWorld.org, and elsewhere. His web community has been named finalist for the People’s Choice Podcast Awards and Irish Blog Awards, and his Irish travel program has ranked in the iTunes Top 50 Travel Podcasts. Corey’s Tips | Website
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