Whitefriar Street Church

Whitefriar Street Church on Aungier Street is a working Carmelite church in the heart of Dublin, best known for two relics: the bones of St Valentine and "Our Lady of Dublin", the city's oldest surviving statue of Mary. Admission is free, and a visit takes 20 to 40 minutes.

History and architecture

The Carmelites had a presence in this part of Dublin as far back as medieval times, until the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century ended their foundation here. They returned in the 19th century — construction of the present church began in 1825/26 to designs by George Papworth (1781–1855), who also designed the city's Catholic cathedral, today's St Mary's Pro-Cathedral. The church was dedicated on 11 November 1827.

From the street the church is easy to miss, since neighbouring buildings largely hide its facade on Aungier Street. Step inside, though, and a surprisingly large, calm sacred space opens up, with several side shrines — the real reason to visit.

The Shrine of St Valentine

The church owes its Valentine relics to the Carmelite priest John Spratt, a celebrated Dublin preacher and benefactor of the poor. In 1835 he travelled to Rome, where Pope Gregory XVI granted him the bones of the early Christian martyr. The relics were taken from the Cemetery of St Hippolytus on the Via Tiburtina on 27 December 1835 and arrived in Dublin on 10 November 1836, where they were received by Archbishop Murray.

The life-size statue of the saint is the work of sculptor Irene Broe and shows him in red martyr's robes holding a crocus. The reliquary containing the bones sits beneath the accompanying altar.

Around 14 February each year, the church becomes a place of pilgrimage for couples. The reliquary is placed before the high altar, and special Masses include the "Blessing of the Rings" — a blessing for engagement and wedding rings. In previous years the two Valentine's Day Masses were held at 11:30 and 15:00, with a blessing of an engaged couple on the eve of the feast; the church usually only confirms exact times for a given year shortly beforehand. No booking appears to be required, as these are public Masses. Candles can be lit at the shrine at any time of year.

Our Lady of Dublin

The second shrine holds "Our Lady of Dublin", a life-size oak statue of Mary with the infant Jesus dating from the early 16th century — the oldest surviving statue of Mary in the city. It is first documented in 1749, in a chapel on St Mary's Lane. After that chapel was demolished in 1816, the whitewashed figure passed into trade, until Father John Spratt bought it from a shop on Capel Street in 1824. The whitewash was removed in 1914, and the statue received its present shrine in 1915. The feast day of Our Lady of Dublin is celebrated on 8 September.

A popular story holds that the statue's hollowed-out back was later used as a pig trough after the Reformation. This isn't documented — it's a piece of folklore. Hollowing out the back of wooden statues like this was in any case standard carving practice, so the trough story belongs more to legend than to history.

Visiting and practicalities

Admission is free, and no booking is needed for a regular visit. The quietest time is on weekday mornings outside Mass times; around Valentine's Day, by contrast, expect very large crowds. 20 to 40 minutes is enough time for the two main shrines. Donations can be made via the "Donate" section of the website, and there's also an online shop and a live webcam from inside the church.

The church has a very central location: it's about a 5-minute walk to St Stephen's Green, where the Luas Green Line also stops. Bus routes 14, 15, 16, 27, 68, 83 and 122 stop on Aungier Street. A visit combines well with the city centre's major churches — St Patrick's Cathedral and Christ Church Cathedral are within walking distance, as is St Mary's Pro-Cathedral, designed by the same architect. For an overview of other churches worth visiting, see the guide Churches in Dublin.