Feast day: 13 June
Saint Anthony of Padua
Sanctus Antonius Patavinus
An Augustinian scholar who became a Franciscan preacher of extraordinary power, famous today as the finder of lost things.
- Born
- c. 1195, Lisbon, Portugal (baptized Fernando Martins de Bulhões)
- Died
- 13 June 1231, Arcella, near Padua
- Canonization
- Canonized 30 May 1232 by Pope Gregory IX, less than a year after his death; declared Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XII in 1946.
- Religious order
- Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans)
- Country
- Portugal and Italy
Biography
Early life and first vocation
Born to a noble family in Lisbon around 1195, Fernando joined the Canons Regular of Saint Augustine, first at São Vicente de Fora and then at the great house of Santa Cruz in Coimbra, where he received a thorough biblical and patristic education.
Becoming a Franciscan
In 1220 the bodies of five Franciscans martyred in Morocco were brought to Coimbra. Moved, Fernando joined the Friars Minor, taking the name Anthony, and set sail for Morocco to preach. Illness forced him back; storms drove his ship to Sicily, and he made his way to Italy.
The hidden preacher revealed
He lived quietly at the hermitage of Montepaolo until, at an ordination in Forlì in 1222, no one was prepared to preach and Anthony was told to speak. His learning and eloquence astonished the friars. Saint Francis then authorized him to teach theology to the brothers — the first Franciscan lector. He preached across northern Italy and southern France, notably against the Cathar heresy.
Death and cult
Exhausted by preaching, he died at Arcella outside Padua on 13 June 1231, aged about thirty-six. Popular acclaim was immediate and Gregory IX canonized him within a year. The Basilica of Saint Anthony in Padua, begun in 1232, holds his tomb; when his remains were examined in 1263 his tongue was found preserved and is still venerated there.
Timeline
- ~c. 1195 — Born in Lisbon
- 1220 — Joins the Franciscans after the Moroccan martyrs
- 1222 — Preaches unexpectedly at Forlì
- 1224 — Teaches theology at Bologna and in France
- 1231 — Dies at Arcella, 13 June
- 1232 — Canonized by Gregory IX
- 1946 — Declared Doctor of the Church
Dates marked ~ are traditional or debated among historians.
Symbols
Child Jesus — From an account of a vision in which the Child Jesus appeared to him; the most common image in art.
Lily — Purity of life.
Book — His mastery of Scripture, which earned him the title 'Ark of the Testament'.
Virtues & spiritual lessons
Zeal for souls, learning placed at the service of preaching, mercy toward the poor and toward sinners in confession. He shows that study and holiness belong together.
Importance in the Church
Anthony gave the young Franciscan movement a solid theological foundation and is one of the most widely venerated saints in the world. The charity known as St Anthony's Bread feeds the poor in his name to this day.
Quotes
“Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak.”
Sermones (Sunday Sermons), attributed in the Franciscan tradition
Writings
Sermones Dominicales et Festivi — His authentic surviving work: outlines and material for Sunday and feast-day sermons, rich in Scripture.
Prayers
Responsory 'Si quaeris miracula' (If you seek miracles)
If then you seek miracles, death, error, all calamities, leprosy and demons fly, and health succeeds infirmities. The sea obeys and fetters break, and lifeless limbs you do restore; while treasures lost are found again, when young and old your aid implore. Pray for us, blessed Anthony, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Latin: Si quaeris miracula, mors, error, calamitas, daemon, lepra fugiunt, aegri surgunt sani...
Traditional responsory attributed to Blessed Julian of Speyer (13th century), sung in the Thirteen Tuesdays devotion.
Places
Lisbon, Portugal — Birthplace; the Church of Santo António stands over the traditional site.
Padua, Italy — The Pontifical Basilica of Saint Anthony holds his tomb and relics.
Entries are drawn from the Roman Martyrology, the General Roman Calendar, canonization records of the Holy See, and the saints' own writings. Where a date, quotation or attribution is uncertain, it is marked as such. (63 saints)