Anthony was born to and raised by a wealthy family inLisbon, Portugal, and died inPadua, Italy. Noted by his contemporaries for his powerful preaching, expert knowledge of scripture, and undying love and devotion to the poor and the sick, he was one of the most quicklycanonized saints in church history, being canonized less than a year after his death.
Anthony was bornFernando Martins de Bulhões inLisbon,Portugal.[5] While 15th-century writers state that his parents were Vicente Martins and Teresa Pais Taveira, and that his father was the brother of Pedro Martins de Bulhões, the ancestor of the Bulhão or Bulhões family, Niccolò Dal-Gal views this as less certain.[5] His wealthy and noble family arranged for him to be instructed at the localcathedral school. At the age of 15, he was received into theCanons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross at theAbbey of Saint Vincent on the outskirts of Lisbon.[5]
In 1212, distracted by frequent visits from family and friends, he asked to be transferred to themotherhouse of the congregation, theMonastery of the Holy Cross inCoimbra, then the capital of Portugal.[6] There, the young Fernando studiedtheology andLatin.
InAlvise Vivarini's painting, Anthony is distinguished from the other saints by his attributes: the book and the white lily stalk.
After hisordination to the priesthood, Fernando was named guestmaster at the age of 19, and placed in charge of hospitality for theabbey. While he was in Coimbra, some Friars Minor arrived and settled at a smallhermitage outside Coimbra dedicated to St.Anthony the Great.[6] Fernando was strongly attracted to the simple,evangelical lifestyle of the friars, whoseorder had been founded only 11 years prior. News arrived that five Franciscans had been beheaded inMorocco,the first of their order to be killed. KingAfonso II of Portugal ransomed their bodies to be returned and buried asmartyrs in theMonastery of the Holy Cross.[6] Inspired by their example, Fernando obtained permission from church authorities to leave theCanons Regular to join the new Franciscan order. Upon his admission to the life of the friars, he joined the small hermitage inOlivais, adopting the name Anthony (from the name of the chapel located there, dedicated to Anthony the Great), by which he was to be known.[7]
Anthony then set out for Morocco, in fulfilment of his newvocation. However, he fell seriously ill in Morocco and set sail back for Portugal in hope of regaining his health. On the return voyage, the ship was pushed off course and landed inSicily.[8]
From Sicily, he made his way toTuscany, where he was assigned to aconvent of the order, but he was met with difficulty on account of his sickly appearance. He was finally assigned to the rural hermitage ofMontepaolo [it] di Dovadola ('mount ofSaint Paul ofDovadola'), nearForlì, in Romagna, a choice made after considering his poor health. There, he had recourse to a cell one of the friars had made in a nearby cave, spending time in private prayer and study.[9]
In 1222, in the town ofForlì, a number of visitingDominican friars were present for the occasion of an ordination, and a misunderstanding arose over who should preach. The Franciscans had expected that one of the Dominicans would occupy the pulpit, being renowned for their preaching. However, the Dominicans had come unprepared, thinking a Franciscan would be thehomilist. In this quandary, the head of the hermitage, who did not think any of his own humble friars could give a homily for the occasion, called upon Anthony, whom he suspected was most qualified, and entreated him to speak whatever the Holy Spirit might inspire.[8] Anthony objected, but was overruled, and his impromptu sermon created a deep impression on his audience. His audience was moved not only by his rich voice and arresting manner, but also by the theme and substance of his discourse, his deep knowledge of scripture, and the eloquence with which he delivered his message.
Anthony was then sent by Brother Gratian, the localminister provincial, to the Franciscan province ofRomagna, based inBologna.[8] He soon came to the attention of the founder of the order,Francis of Assisi. Francis had held a strong distrust of the place oftheological studies in the life of hisbrotherhood, fearing it might lead to an abandonment of their commitment to a life of real poverty and service. In Anthony, however, he found a kindred spirit who shared his vision and could also provide the teaching any young members of the order seeking ordination might need. In 1224, he entrusted the pursuit of studies for any of his friars to the care of Anthony.
The traditional practice of praying for St. Anthony's help in finding lost or stolen things is traced to an incident during his lifetime that occurred in Bologna. According to the story, Anthony had abook of psalms that was important to him, as it contained his notes and comments for use in teaching his students. Anovice who had chosen to leave had taken the psalter with him. Prior to theinvention of the printing press, any book washand-copied, and thus, an item of high value; a Franciscan friar in particular, given his vow of poverty, would have found such an item difficult to replace. When Anthony realized his psalter was missing, he prayed it would be found or returned, after which the thief was moved to not only return the book to Anthony, but also return to the order. The stolen book is said to be preserved in the Franciscan friary in Bologna.[10]
Occasionally, Anthony took another post as a teacher at universities likeUniversity of Montpellier andUniversity of Toulouse in southern France, but his preaching was considered to be his supreme gift. According to historian Sophronius Clasen, Anthony preached "the grandeur of Christianity".[9] His method includedallegory and symbolical explanation of scripture. In 1226, after attending thegeneral chapter of his order held atArles, France, and preaching in the region ofProvence, Anthony returned to Italy and was appointedProvincial superior of northern Italy. He chose the city of Padua as his location.
In 1228, he served asenvoy from thegeneral chapter toPope Gregory IX. At thepapal court, his preaching was hailed as a "jewel case of theBible" and he was commissioned to produce his collection of sermons,Sermons for Feast Days(Sermones in Festivitates). Gregory IX described Anthony as the "Ark of the Testament"(Doctor Arca testamenti).
The story of Anthony "preaching to the fish" originated inRimini, where he had gone to preach. Whenheretics there treated him with contempt, Anthony was said to have gone to the shoreline, where he began to preach at the water's edge until a great crowd of fish was seen gathered before him. The people of the town and even heretics flocked to see this marvelous thing and were moved to listen to Anthony's preaching.[11]
In another often-told story, which took place also in Rimini, Anthony was challenged by a heretic to prove thereality of the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The man, who sought to mock Anthony, brought out a half-starvedmule and showed it freshfodder. Saint Anthony showed the mule themonstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament. The mule ignored the fodder and bowed before the Blessed Sacrament.[11] TheTempietto of Sant'Antonio marks the spot where the miracle took place. Other versions of this miracle place it inToulouse orBourges.
Another account tells of an occasion in Italy when Anthony was dining with heretics. He realized the food they put before him was poisoned, and he confronted them. The men admitted to attempting to kill him, but then challenged him to eat if he truly believed the words spoken in Mark 16:18 about the apostles of Christ: "and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them". Anthony is said to have blessed the food and eaten it without harm, much to the amazement of his hosts.[11]
Anthony became sick withergotism in 1231 and went to the woodland retreat atCamposampiero with two other friars for a respite. There, he lived in a room built for him under the branches of a walnut tree. Anthony died on the way back to Padua on 13 June 1231 at thePoor Clare monastery atArcella (now part of Padua), at the age of 35.
As he had requested, Anthony was buried in the small church of Santa Maria Mater Domini—probably dating from the late 12th century—near a convent he had founded in 1229. Because of his notability, the construction of a large church, now theBasilica of Saint Anthony of Padua, was begun around 1232 and completed in 1301. The smaller church was incorporated into the structure as the Cappella della Madonna Mora or Chapel of the Dark Madonna. Today the basilica is commonly referred to as "Il Santo" (The Saint).
Various accounts also surround the death of Anthony. One holds that when he died, children cried in the streets and all the church bells rang of their own accord. According to another account, when he was initially buried his tongue, jaw, and vocal cords were chosen asrelics forveneration and displayed in a largereliquary. When his body was exhumed 30 years after his death, it was found turned to dust, but the tongue was observed to have glistened and looked as if it were still part of a live body; a further observation being made that this was a sign of his gift of preaching.[12] On 1 January 1981,Pope John Paul II authorized a scientific team to study Anthony's remains and the tomb was opened five days later.
The richness of spiritual teaching contained in theSermons was so great that in 1946VenerablePope Pius XII proclaimed Anthony a Doctor of the Church, attributing to him the titleDoctor evangelicus, since the freshness and beauty of the Gospel emerge from these writings.[13][14]
Anthony's fame spread through Portuguese evangelization, and he has been known as the most celebrated of the followers of Francis of Assisi. He is the patron saint of Padua and many places inPortugal and in the countries of the formerPortuguese Empire.[15]
He is especially invoked and venerated all over the world as the patron saint for the recovery of lost items and is credited with many miracles involving lost people, lost things and even lost spiritual goods.[15][16]
St. Anthony Chaplets help devotees to meditate on the thirteen virtues of the saint. Some of these chaplets were used by members of confraternities that had Anthony as their patron saint.
First class relic of Anthony displayed at the National Shrine of St. Anthony of Padua and Friary (Cincinnati, Ohio)
In 1692, Spanish missionaries came across a smallPayaya Indian community along what was then known as theYanaguana River on the feast day of Saint Anthony, 13 June. The Franciscan chaplain, Father Damien Massanet, with agreement from General Domingo de Teran, renamed the rivers in his honor, and eventually builta mission nearby, as well. This mission became the focal point of a small community that eventually grew in size and scope to become the seventh-largest city in the country, theU.S. city of San Antonio, Texas.[17]
InNew York City, theShrine Church of St. Anthony inGreenwich Village,Manhattan celebrates hisfeast day, starting with the traditionalnovena of prayers asking for his intercession on the 13 Tuesdays preceding his feast. This culminates with a week-long series of services and a street fair. A traditional Italian-style procession is held that day through the streets of itsSouth Village neighborhood, during which arelic of the saint is carried forveneration.[18]
Miraculous Image of Saint Anthony, by Franciszek Lekszycki OFM, 1649,Przeworsk, Poland
Each year on the weekend of the last Sunday in August,Boston's North End holds a feast in honor of Saint Anthony. Referred to as the "Feast of All Feasts",Saint Anthony's Feast in Boston's North End was begun in 1919 by Italian immigrants fromMontefalcione, a small town nearNaples, where the tradition of honoring Saint Anthony goes back to 1688.[19]
Each year theSandia Pueblo along withSanta Clara Pueblo celebrates the feast day of Saint Anthony with traditional Native American dances.[20]
On 27 January 1907, inBeaumont, Texas, a church was dedicated and named in honor of Saint Anthony. The church was later designated a cathedral in 1966 with the formation of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Beaumont, but was not formally consecrated. On 28 April 1974, St. Anthony Cathedral was dedicated and consecrated by Bishop Warren Boudreaux. In 2006,Pope Benedict XVI granted the cathedral the designation of minor basilica.St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica celebrated its 100th anniversary on 28 January 2007.[21]
Saint Anthony is known in Portugal, Spain, and Brazil as a marriage saint, because legends exist of him reconciling couples. His feast day, 13 June, is Lisbon's municipal holiday, celebrated with parades and marriages. He is one of the saints celebrated in the BrazilianFesta Junina, along withJohn the Baptist andSaint Peter. The festivities arount him, specifically, is known as the "Trezena de Junho", or thirteenth of June, when devotion to St. Anthony intensifies in the days leading up to his feast. Saint Anthony is patron saint of at least 105 cities through Brazil, in 10 states, being one of the most venerated saints in that country.[24]
He is venerated in Mogán Village inGran Canaria, where his feast day is celebrated every year with oversized objects carried through the streets for the fiesta.[25]
InAlbania, theFranciscans arrived in 1240 spreading the word of Saint Anthony(Shna Ndou). TheSt. Anthony Church, Laç (Albanian:Kisha e Shna Ndout or Kisha e Laçit) inLaç was built in his honor.[26] Saint Anthony is one of the most important saints amongst Albanians and the pilgrimage to his church is done yearly by a considerable number of Eastern Orthodox and Muslim Albanians as well.[27][28]
In the town ofBrusciano, Italy, located near Naples, an annual feast in honor of Saint Anthony is held in late August. This tradition dates back to 1875. The tradition started when a man prayed to Saint Anthony for his sick son to get better. He vowed that if his son would become healthy he would build and dance agiglio like the people of Nola do for their patron San Paolino during the annual Fest Dei Gigli. (Agiglio is a tall tower topped with a statue of the saint that is carried through the streets in carefully choreographed maneuvers that resemble a dance.) The celebration has grown over the years to include six giglio towers built in honor of the saint. This tradition has also carried over to America, specifically theEast Harlem area of New York, where the immigrants from the town of Brusciano formed theGiglio Society of East Harlem and have been holding their annual feast since the early 1900s.[29]
Saint Anthony is honored inUvari, inTamil Nadu, India, where legend holds that the crew of a Portuguese ship was cured of cholera through the intercession of St. Anthony. The local church is dedicated to St. Anthony and houses an ancient wooden statue believed to have been carved by one of the crew.[30] In Kerala, where Vasco da Gama had landed in 1498 and where the Portuguese had their first stations in India some of the most ancient churches were renamed after St. Antony and new churches were dedicated to him.
InSiolim, a village in the Indian state ofGoa, St. Anthony is always shown holding a serpent on a stick. This is a depiction of the incident which occurred during the construction of the church wherein a snake was disrupting construction work. The people turned to St. Anthony for help and placed his statue at the construction site. The next morning, the snake was found caught in the cord placed in the statue's hand.[31]
St. Anthony's Shrine, Kochchikade, located inSri Lanka, is dedicated to the saint. The church is designated a national shrine[32] and minor basilica.[33] A tiny piece of St. Anthony's tongue is said to be preserved in a special reliquary, which is located in a glass case together with a statue of the saint, at the entrance to the church.
Maso di Banco's painting of Anthony of Padua, c. 1340. Part The Met collection, it was originally within a polyptych.
As the number of Franciscan saints increased, iconography struggled to distinguish Anthony from the others. Because of a legend that he had once preached to the fish by the mouth of the riverMarecchia inRimini, this was sometimes used as his attribute. He is also often seen with a whitelily stalk, representing his purity. Other conventions referred to St. Anthony's visionary fervor. Thus, one attribute in use for some time was a flaming heart. He is also sometimes depicted along with themule in Rimini that allegedly bowed down to him holding theEucharist.
In 1511,Titian painted three large frescoes in theScuola del Santo in Padua, depicting scenes of the miracles from the life of Saint Anthony:TheMiracle of the Jealous Husband, which depicts the murder of a young woman by her husband;A Child Testifying to Its Mother's Innocence; andThe Saint Healing the Young Man with a Broken Limb.[37]
Another key pattern has him meditating on an open book in which the Christ Child himself appears, as in the El Greco below. Over time the child came to be shown considerably larger than the book and some images even do without the book entirely. He typically appears carrying the infant Jesus and holding a cross.[38]
In popularvotive offerings, Anthony is often depicted as miraculously saving individuals in various accidents.[39]
Anthony of Padua in Art
El Greco'spainting, 1580, shows the book with an image of the Christ child on the page.
The Austrian composerGustav Mahler'ssong cycleDes Knaben Wunderhorn contains the songDes Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt, whose lyrics recount the story of Saint Anthony's sermon to the fish. This song later formed the basis for the scherzo movement of Mahler'sSymphony No. 2. In correspondence, Mahler expressed amusement that his sinuous musical setting could implySt. Anthony of Padua was himself drunk as he preached to the fish.[40]
Punitha Anthoniyar(Saint Anthony), a 1977 IndianTamil-language film directed by Nanjil Durai, starringR. Muthuraman andLakshmi in the lead roles.[41]
Umberto Marino's 2002Sant'Antonio di Padova orSaint Anthony: The Miracle Worker of Padua is an ItalianTV movie about the saint.[42] While the VHS format is without English subtitles,[43] the DVD version released in 2005 is simply calledSaint Anthony and is subtitled.[44]
Antonello Belluco's 2006Antonio guerriero di Dio orAnthony, Warrior of God[45] is abiopic about the saint.[46]
Foley, Leonard; McCloskey, Patrick, eds. (2013).Saint of the day (7th, updated and expanded ed.). Cincinnati, Ohio (US): Franciscan Media.ISBN978-1-61636-667-4.OCLC882106791.
Raj, Selva J. (2017). "Being Catholic the Tamil way". In Locklin, Reid B. (ed.).Vernacular Catholicism, vernacular saints. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.ISBN978-1-4384-6505-0.OCLC956984843.
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