Post by whisker on Feb 12, 2012 2:37:42 GMT
This morning I mentioned on Daily Drop In that I intended going looking for the place that is supposed to have Saint Valentine's bones. I had heard that the Carmelite Church in White Friar's Street had the saint's relics, but I had never followed it up in all the years that I have been living in Dublin.
There is a bus, which comes very close to my door, which passes there on the way to Town (Dublin). So I decided that was the way to go.
I have a message on my mobile, that lets me know when the next bus is, if I resend it. I did that and learned there was a bus within the next ten minutes.
I headed out the door, as it would be about five minutes walk to the bus stop. Hopped into my car and was half - way down the street, when I remembered that I had actually intended catching the bus! LOL! Senior moment, I suppose you could call it!
Well, I reasoned, it was all for luck, as it was getting on in the evening, and taking the car would probably knock about 15 minutes off the journey. So, I calculated, I would have that much more light, before nightfall. On the other-hand, there would be the problem of parking - which was another consideration, that I would have to deal with when I got there.
White Friar's Street is in and old part of Town - and the Church where I am going was built back in the mid 1800's.
If, at this stage, you would like to know a little more about where I am headed, maybe you would like to look at this website to learn more: [There seems little point in my writing all of that, if someone, else, conveniently already has done it.
;D]
It seems to be no secret that St. Valentine's remains are kept in this Church, even though he had been martyred in Rome. I just have never gone in there to see for myself.
Well, getting to White Friar's Street, was fairly straight-forward. Probably took about 20 minutes by car. I was musing to myself, how many times I have passed that Church, but never before, have stopped to go in. I was noticing how so much had been changing, since I last had passed this way. There's always something new opening up, or you notice something you hadn't seen before.
While there is a lot of regeneration going on all along the route to this church, you can't help but notice, there is a general air of dilapidation around, too! With no problem, I got to the door of the church, which is on my straight route into town.
Only problem was, there was no parking just there. So I made a turn off to the right, so that I could find a place to park. I could have parked on the side of that street, where I found myself, but the area was a bit "dodgy", it seemed to me, with lots of these mid-fifties high-rise blocks of flats around. I decide to follow a sign that said "P" for parking.
That brought me into the Stephen's Green S.C. multilevel car-park. My, oh my! It must have been three or four years since I was in this car park. I found a place on Level 6B. I had to relearn my way around, all over again. Stephen's Green is one of Dublin's most popular Shopping Malls, with many levels. Getting out of the car-park brought me down through the Shopping Center.
Finding myself surrounded by the bright lights of the Shopping Center, I was tempted, for a moment, to abandon my quest to find Saint Val's bones. I pulled myself together and headed back through Mercer's Street towards White Friar's Street, which I had left. Had to walk a couple of blocks, with everywhere tempting shops where I would have liked to have lingered. But I kept going. ;D
All of this time evening was closing in, and there was very little light left. I began to wonder would I be able to see much, by the time I would arrive back at the Church.
Anyway, I did get back there. Conveniently for me, there was a pedestrian crossing right in front of the entrance.
Having never bothered before to stop at this church, I was now taking more notice of it. It is level with the street, and looks more like a convent, sprawling along the street, perfectly flat in front, with lots of windows in a more or less, Georgian style. But not the glorious elegant Georgian Style you get in Stephen's Green. This would have been a less salubrious part of Town in the Georgian era.
Before crossing at the pedestrian crossing, I took a pic of the entrance.
In the fading light and the otherwise drabness of the building, the entrance was bright and inviting. On each side of the door are a statue - one of our lady and the other of Saint John, the Beloved disciple. I don't know whether they were watching the comings and goings on the street or inviting me in!
Here is the statue of the Virgin Mary, which is on the right side as you go in. She is standing on a plinth about 3 foot above street level. Saint John on the other side also is standing on a similar plinth.
I crossed via the pedestrian crossing and headed for the door. People, mainly "of a certain age", seemed to be making their way in. They had an air about them as if they knew where they were going, and were accustomed to going in here frequently. They were sort of strolling in at a leisurely pace.
On each side or the entrance, opened back, were two very tall and impressive wrought-iron gates. This led into a porch with double doors, which were closed.
An elderly man was ahead of me, pushing open the doors.
There is a bus, which comes very close to my door, which passes there on the way to Town (Dublin). So I decided that was the way to go.
I have a message on my mobile, that lets me know when the next bus is, if I resend it. I did that and learned there was a bus within the next ten minutes.
I headed out the door, as it would be about five minutes walk to the bus stop. Hopped into my car and was half - way down the street, when I remembered that I had actually intended catching the bus! LOL! Senior moment, I suppose you could call it!
Well, I reasoned, it was all for luck, as it was getting on in the evening, and taking the car would probably knock about 15 minutes off the journey. So, I calculated, I would have that much more light, before nightfall. On the other-hand, there would be the problem of parking - which was another consideration, that I would have to deal with when I got there.
White Friar's Street is in and old part of Town - and the Church where I am going was built back in the mid 1800's.
If, at this stage, you would like to know a little more about where I am headed, maybe you would like to look at this website to learn more: [There seems little point in my writing all of that, if someone, else, conveniently already has done it.
;D]It seems to be no secret that St. Valentine's remains are kept in this Church, even though he had been martyred in Rome. I just have never gone in there to see for myself.
Well, getting to White Friar's Street, was fairly straight-forward. Probably took about 20 minutes by car. I was musing to myself, how many times I have passed that Church, but never before, have stopped to go in. I was noticing how so much had been changing, since I last had passed this way. There's always something new opening up, or you notice something you hadn't seen before.
While there is a lot of regeneration going on all along the route to this church, you can't help but notice, there is a general air of dilapidation around, too! With no problem, I got to the door of the church, which is on my straight route into town.
Only problem was, there was no parking just there. So I made a turn off to the right, so that I could find a place to park. I could have parked on the side of that street, where I found myself, but the area was a bit "dodgy", it seemed to me, with lots of these mid-fifties high-rise blocks of flats around. I decide to follow a sign that said "P" for parking.
That brought me into the Stephen's Green S.C. multilevel car-park. My, oh my! It must have been three or four years since I was in this car park. I found a place on Level 6B. I had to relearn my way around, all over again. Stephen's Green is one of Dublin's most popular Shopping Malls, with many levels. Getting out of the car-park brought me down through the Shopping Center.
Finding myself surrounded by the bright lights of the Shopping Center, I was tempted, for a moment, to abandon my quest to find Saint Val's bones. I pulled myself together and headed back through Mercer's Street towards White Friar's Street, which I had left. Had to walk a couple of blocks, with everywhere tempting shops where I would have liked to have lingered. But I kept going.
;DAll of this time evening was closing in, and there was very little light left. I began to wonder would I be able to see much, by the time I would arrive back at the Church.
Anyway, I did get back there. Conveniently for me, there was a pedestrian crossing right in front of the entrance.
Having never bothered before to stop at this church, I was now taking more notice of it. It is level with the street, and looks more like a convent, sprawling along the street, perfectly flat in front, with lots of windows in a more or less, Georgian style. But not the glorious elegant Georgian Style you get in Stephen's Green. This would have been a less salubrious part of Town in the Georgian era.
Before crossing at the pedestrian crossing, I took a pic of the entrance.
In the fading light and the otherwise drabness of the building, the entrance was bright and inviting. On each side of the door are a statue - one of our lady and the other of Saint John, the Beloved disciple. I don't know whether they were watching the comings and goings on the street or inviting me in!
Here is the statue of the Virgin Mary, which is on the right side as you go in. She is standing on a plinth about 3 foot above street level. Saint John on the other side also is standing on a similar plinth.
I crossed via the pedestrian crossing and headed for the door. People, mainly "of a certain age", seemed to be making their way in. They had an air about them as if they knew where they were going, and were accustomed to going in here frequently. They were sort of strolling in at a leisurely pace.
On each side or the entrance, opened back, were two very tall and impressive wrought-iron gates. This led into a porch with double doors, which were closed.
An elderly man was ahead of me, pushing open the doors.
for remembering us at the shrine.