February 14 is the day we celebrate one of the world's most famous saints.
The most romantic day of the year conjures up imagery of red roses, poems, greeting cards and of course date nights, but it is also dedicated to the saint that gives it its name.
Much like Christmas, it's become a heavily commercialised holiday but the Feast of Saint Valentine was traditionally observed to pay reverence to this martyr who died way back in the third century AD.
Though the origins of this famous religious figure and his connection to love may be shrouded in mystery – did you know he has links to Scotland?
Like our Patron Saint, some of Valentine's remains are said to have been brought here.
Though his flower-crowned skull is famously displayed in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome, some of his relics are also said to be housed in a small box in a church found in the southside of Glasgow.
Lying across the River Clyde from the city centre, The Church of Blessed John Duns Scotus on Ballater Street in the Gorbals is said to contain pieces of the bones of his forearm.
Incredibly, the bones were only “rediscovered” in 1999, having been kept in a cardboard box, on top of a wardrobe, for six years.
The story goes that they were brought to the city by Franciscan monks, who were impressed by the piety of the local population, after they were donated by a wealthy French family, and were eventually housed in St Francis' Church in the 1860s.
However, they were then moved to another church in the Gorbals area in the early 90s before being rediscovered and brought to Blessed St John Duns Scotus Church.
Each year, on the Feast of St Valentine, the wooden box, which features gold plated letters that read 'Corpus Valentini Martyris' (the Body of the martyr Valentine) is decorated with flowers every year.
Prayers are then said "for those in love and out of it", as well as those experiencing problems in their relationships or loss.
Though tourists flock to Dublin’s Whitefriars Church every Valentine’s Day to visit his remains, the Scottish friary claims to have a letter preserved in their archives which they say is the authorisation that their relic is indeed the genuine one.
Don't miss the top culture and heritage stories from around Scotland. Sign up to our twice weekly Scotland Now newsletter here.
