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Old St. Ferdinand Shrine Holds relic
Old St. Ferdinand Shrine Has
Its Own Valentine
By Nichole Richardson
Most Florissant natives are aware of the grand history embedded in the Old St. Ferdinand Shrine located in Old Town Florissant. The Shrine is known to be the oldest Catholic church west of the Mississippi and believed to be the oldest standing church of any denomination from all of the 1804 Louisiana Purchase territory. What is lesser known, is that an ancient “valentine” wax effigy is encased in front of the altar, and holds inside it, a splendid relic from the past.
The impressive history of the church and its ‘valentine’ began in 1818 when Bishop Louis William Valentine DuBourg arrived in this area and celebrated a Mass in Ste. Genevieve. DuBourg’s diocese extended from the Canadian border to New Orleans and from central Illinois to the Rocky Mountains. (St. Louis has even been referred to as the “Rome of the West.”) Bishop DuBourg is also the one who brought St. Rose Philippine Duchesne to the St. Louis area. Upon their arrivals, the church became the first Catholic school and the first free school.
It is said that Bishop DuBourg was previously given a gift from the King of France. The now relic, is thought to be part of the hip bone of the third century Roman martyr, St. Valentine. It is thought that St. Valentine did not agree with the Emperor’s insatiable appetite to grow his army strong, nor did he agree with his marriage ban throughout Rome.
Some say St. Valentine performed clandestine weddings and cut hearts from parchment to “remind men (soldiers) of their vows and God’s love,” and gave them to the soldiers. This may even be the origin of the widespread use of hearts on Valentine’s Day. Some believe this St. Valentine, a holy priest in Rome, also healed a blind woman called Julia before he was executed by Roman Emperor Claudius II on Feb. 14, and before his death, signed a farewell note to Julia,“From Your Valentine.”
In truth, the exact origins and identity of St. Valentine are unclear. What is clear though, is that there really is a life-sized wax replica of the famous Saint Valentine that resides in front of the altar and inside it, sits a glimpse into the past.
“The relic is in a box inside the wax figure of Valentine. It is thought to be Valentine the martyr of the early church. The relic was placed in the wax figure when the high altar was put in, in the 1880s. Priory to that the relic was in the church,” explained Carol Cambell, director of the Shrine.
There are very few relics of St. Valentine scattered all over the world commemorating the ‘patron of lovers’ and our city is lucky enough to have one of them. Just another reason to visit the beautiful and historic St. Ferdinand Shrine.
It has been estimated that about 12,000 people from all over the world visit the Shrine in Florissant each year.
PHOTO CAPTION: A wax figure of St. Valentine that contains relics of the third century Roman martyr is visible through a glass window under the altar.
