The Church of San Antón, a temple that remains open 24 hours a day and is already a symbol of welcome and hope in Madrid, was once again filled with emotion on February 14 to celebrate Valentine’s Day, the great festival of love in all its forms. As every year, the church became a meeting point for families, couples, children baptized in the temple and visitors who wanted to participate in a tradition that unites faith, affection and community.   

One of the most significant elements of this celebration is the presence of the relics of St. Valentine, guarded in a gilded wooden and glass urn inside the church. These relics – a skull, tibias and bones of the saint – were a gift from the Pope to King Charles IV, who finally gave them to the Piarists as patrons of the temple.   

In front of this urn, faithful and visitors participated in the traditional gesture of tying ribbons of love as a symbol of commitment, gratitude or request for true love. As Father Ángel recalled, this gesture renews every year the hope and unity of those who come to the temple: “as every year, we tie the ribbons as a commitment of love to the grille that guards the relics of St. Valentine.”   

The festivity culminated with a solemn mass celebrated at 7 p.m.