I’ve written about saintly relics before. They exist all over the world because there is a belief that proximity to even part of a saint means  ‘something’ can rub off. Prague has one of St Valentine’s shoulder blades to show off.

The majestic church of St Peter and Paul forms part of the old castle of Vysehrad, just south of the city centre. In 2002, church officials discovered a relic labelled “St Valentine’s Shoulder” in their vaults. I would have thought that this is the sort of thing you wouldn’t misplace. Admittedly, under the Communist regime, many religious artefacts must have been hidden away. Perhaps this is not as surprising as you would think.

I visited another relic of St Valentine in Dublin.

Legend has it that the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV brought the shoulder to Prague in the 14th century. He lived in Vysehrad castle so the timing works well.

But is it authentic?

The church admits that DNA testing with the relics that remain in Italy could be done. This would be “difficult and time-consuming” which seems to be no more than an excuse. However, there is authentic documentation which adheres to Church law making any testing superfluous.

In other words, as befits any religion, the truth behind this relic is simple a matter of faith.

St Valentine’s shoulder is now on permanent display at the Church and a special mass is celebrated on Valentine’s Day.

Have you seen many saintly relics?