The Catholic Christian community of Mytilene on Lesvos solemnly gathered on Saturday afternoon, February 14, to honor the memory of Saint Valentine, whose sacred relics are housed in the Catholic Church of the Metastasis of the Virgin Mary on the island.
The Divine Liturgy was presided over by the Vicar of the Metropolis of Chios and Lesvos, Archbishop of All the Aegean, Joseph, in a service marked by reverence and devotion.
The celebration in Mytilene paid tribute to Saint Valentine not only as a universal symbol of love, but also as a significant figure in the Christian tradition, who holds a special historical connection to Lesvos.
The long journey of the Saint Valentine relics
According to hagiological tradition, Saint Valentine – probably an elder – was arrested in Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius II of the Goths. After he was tortured, he was executed by beheading on February 14, 268 AD, on the ancient Roman road Via Flaminia. His companions collected his blood in a glass vial and buried his body in the catacombs of Saint Priscilla in Rome.
The Pope Saint Gelasius sanctified Valentine in 496 and his martyrdom is particularly respected and honored by the Roman Catholic Church. The eternal repose of the saint was disrupted in 1815.
The relics were exhumed, and a part were donated to the noble priest Giovanni Battista Longarini di S. Costanzo, from the Duchy of Urbino, who served in the royal chapel of the Cathedral of Ispali in Seville.
The holy relics arrive in Mytilene
In 1907, the relics of Saint Valentine were found for the second time in Mytilene, when the local Catholic Community was under the Catholic Bishop of Chios and, by extension, the Catholic Archbishop of Smyrna.
Their exact route remains unknown. It is estimated that, after Longarini’s death, they were bequeathed to relatives, who probably immigrated to Mytilene at the end of the 19th century.
Based on official documents, on April 26, 1907, the Catholic Archbishop of Smyrna, Domenicos Maregos, proceeded to an autopsy and authentication of the relics during his pastoral visit to Mytilene. This act is also confirmed by a handwritten note from the then Catholic vicar of Mytilene, Father Vitos-Robertos, dated May 1, 1907.
The last owner of the relics was Lucia Theofanopoulou Bongigli, who donated them to the city’s Catholic church.
From oblivion to restoration
Until 1990, the relics were located under the Holy Altar of the church that was built in 1844. Then they were transferred to Athens by the Franciscan monk Father Torquatos Morini. Part of them was placed in the chapel of the Capuchin Order in Victoria Square, while others were sent to Rome.
After the death of Father Torquatos in 1994, the reliquary was found carefully guarded by Dimitrios Papadakis – Perithorakis. Finally, in 2014, as part of the rebirth of the Catholic community on Lesvos, part of the relics were returned to Mytilene, where Saint Valentine has been solemnly honored ever since.
The celebration in Mytilene honors Saint Valentine not only as a symbol of love, but also an an important figure in the Christian tradition, with a special historical connection to Lesvos.
