Terni - Birthplace of St. Valentine


When we learned that Terni was home to St. Valentine, we decided we had to visit. 



The tomb of St. Valentine is in a 12th century church which was built over a smaller 4th century church. The history books tell us that when the Roman Empire was under the threat of invasion, the Roman emperor Claudius banned marriages.  This decree had the desired effect of providing more unmarried soldiers to fight in battle.  In response, St. Valentine, believing in love and marriage, began performing marriages in secret. As punishment for performing these ceremonies, St. Valentine was ultimately imprisoned, tortured and martyred on February 14, 1269. His body was returned to rest in Terni. 

Over the centuries, St. Valentine's relics have been distributed throughout Europe. His skull is said to reside in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome. Many of his remains were sent to Madrid as a present from the Pope to King Carlos IV. And, Pope Gregory XVI gave some remains and "a small vessel tinged with his blood" to an Irish priest from Dublin. Other relics of St. Valentines, are thought to be in Prague, Poland, Italy, France, UK, Scotland and Vienna. It's hard to imagine that his remains would be parcelled up in this way although it was more acceptable to do so centuries ago.






Terni also has the remains of an amphitheater although it is only open for concerts and theatre on certain days.  It was buiult in 37 AD and held upwards of 10,000 spectators.











Construction on Terni’s Cathedral started in the second century AD. It has undergone many remodels over the years. The current church structure dates from the 16th century AD.



We stumbled upon St Salvatores Church as we were looking for a pizzeria for lunch. It is a small church with a rounded chapel.











It was built around 1072, over a roman temple from 1st Century AD.

Location: 05100 Terni, Province of Terni, Italy

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