Mytilene: How the Relics of Saint Valentine Ended Up from Italy

The relics of Saint Valentine were kept in the "Frankish Church" of Mytilene until 1990. Dimitris Papadakis – Perathorakiss, a writer of ecclesiastical history, had published a book about the history of the relics.

Saints Valentine were martyred in cities such as Genoa, Rome, and Strasbourg, and it is speculated that some were Greeks. St. Valentine's Day began as a celebration of Christian martyrs named Valentine, but over the years it has been personified into a Catholic priest who was martyred in 270 AD.

The history of the relics begins in 1825, when Cardinal Giulio di Somalia allowed their removal to be given to Giovanni – Battista Longarini di San Constanzo. In 1907, the relics were found in Mytilene, where there was a large Catholic community. The last owner was Lucia Theofanopoulou – Bongigli, who donated them to the Catholic church of Mytilene, but they ended up in Athens.

In 1990, the Franciscan monk Torquato Morini helped transport the relics to the church of Saints Francis and Clare in Athens, without publicizing it. In 1994, D. Papadakis – Perathorakiss discovered the existence of the relics. Dimitris Papadakis – Perathorakiss is credited with publicizing the existence of the relics, and Nikolaos Printesis with their return to Mytilene.