Saint Anthony of Padua
Franciscan from Lisbon, celebrated preacher, canonised within a year
- Rank
- Saint
- Kind
- Priest, Doctor of the Church, Religious
- Life
- 1195 – 1231
- Era
- 13th century
- Feast
- 13 June
- Countries
- Portugal, Italy
Life story
Anthony's baptismal name was Fernando. He was born around 1195 in Lisbon, Portugal, entered the Augustinian canons, and lived in Lisbon and then at Coimbra. In 1220, when the bodies of Franciscan friars martyred in Morocco were brought to Coimbra, he asked to join the Franciscans and took the name Anthony.
He set out for Morocco but fell ill and had to turn back, and his ship was carried by storms to Sicily. He then went to Italy, and at an ordination in Forlì his gift for preaching came to light almost by chance. From then on he preached and taught in northern Italy, gave theology lessons to the friars at Bologna, and worked in southern France, notably against heretical movements.
In his last years Anthony lived mainly in Padua, where in the Lent of 1231 he preached to very large crowds and asked the authorities to protect debtors. He fell ill and died at Arcella, near Padua, on 13 June 1231, at about the age of thirty-six.
Pope Gregory IX canonised him in 1232, less than a year after his death. Pius XII declared him a Doctor of the Church in 1946, with the title Evangelical Doctor. His basilica in Padua still receives crowds of pilgrims. Although he died young, his sermons, preserved in written collections, remained widely copied, and the city of Padua has kept his burial place as its main shrine ever since.
Works and witness
- Joined the Franciscans in 1220 after seeing the relics of martyred friars
- Preached in northern Italy and southern France
- Taught theology to the friars at Bologna
- Preached the Lent of 1231 in Padua
- Canonised in 1232, declared a Doctor of the Church in 1946
Patron of
Padua, Lisbon
Saints from the same country
References
- Martyrologium Romanum
- Vita prima of Saint Anthony (Assidua)
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints – biographical profile
Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.