Inside a large church that can hold 2,000 parishioners, to one side, lie the remains of Saint Valentine.
Yes, that very same Saint Valentine who is celebrated on February 14th each year - the patron saint of love.
It’s known as Whitefriar Street Church yet the main entrance is from Aungier Street in Dublin.
This place has been home to Carmelite friars since the mid-13th century, the building today was constructed in the 19th century by George Papworth.
It’s not common knowledge outside of Dublin that there is a shrine to Saint Valentine in the Irish capital. The reliquary given to the Carmelites in Dublin by Pope Gregory XVI in 1836 contains, it is said, Saint Valentine’s blood and some bones - but the inner seal of the box has never been opened.
They were given to Father John Spratt, an Irish Carmelite who travelled to Rome and gained fame as a preacher there including at the Gesu, the Jesuit church.
Anyway, if you’re unlucky in love then on your next visit it might make a worthwhile stop to visit the shrine of Saint Valentine.
And take a photography workshop in Dublin too while you're here with Panoramic Ireland's Dublin Photo Tours.
**Check out the Panoramic Ireland podcast now up on Spotify** https://open.spotify.com/show/21sklSQmw9TKkQqryBtdwj
