Saints and Relics Saturday: St. Valentine, Santa Maria in Cosmedin

The head of St. Valentine rests in the church, Santa Maria in Cosmedin. We know that this is the head of St. Valentine because his name is visible on the skull. Whether this is the skull of the saint of Valentine's day, we may never know.

Unfortunately (perhaps) for the church and St. Valentine, the location is better known for the bocca della verita, or "mouth of truth", the manhole sized circular marble with the face of a man. This mysterious work of art was made famous in the movie Roman Holiday, and the legend says that anyone who puts their hand in the mouth and tells a lie will have the hand bitten off!

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Are you interested in seeing this?

• Yes!
• If there is time.
• It doesn't really call to me.

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P.S. Ever get confused by the inscriptions you see in Rome?

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