Saint Anthony

The life of St. Anthony

The preacher, theologian and Franciscan, now venerated as St. Anthony, was born in Lisbon as the son of a Portuguese noble family and died on June 13, 1231 in a small town near Padua. As a 15-year-old young man, Anthony became canon of the Augustinians, studied theology and was finally ordained a priest. From 1220 he belonged to the Franciscan Order and was given the name of Antonius Eremita, a Christian hermit from 3rd century Egypt who is venerated as the "Father of the monks".

His travels as a missionary led Anthony from Padua to Morocco. An illness forced the monk to return to Europe. After some time, during which Anthony lived as a hermit, he met Francis of Assisi in 1221. In many reports the extraordinary gift of speech of Anthony is praised. With his sermons he was able to captivate the people and was also praised by Francis of Assisi for his great talent and impact. Exhausted by his travels and work as a religious superior and penitential preacher, Anthony chose the hermitage again before he died in 1231.

There are numerous legends about miracles that are said to have happened in connection with Anthony. One of these legends tells of a sermon in which Anthony spoke to fishes in the sea who listened to him devoutly. Another story tells of how Anthony once personally held the baby Jesus in his arms. Some of the miracles took place during the lifetime of Anthony, others took place at the grave of the saint. After Antonius had died, he was canonized after only eleven months, because the people expressly requested this from Pope Gregory IX.

St. Anthony as patron saint

The cities of Padua, Lisbon, Menden, Hildesheim and Paderborn have chosen St. Anthony as their patron saint. This saint, who is especially popular for his vocal skills, is also the patron saint of the professions of bakers, miners, social workers and pig herders. Especially when it comes to the topics of infertility, plague, war distress or livestock diseases, St. Anthony is the right contact person for many believers. Antonius should continue to help to find lost things again. There are own prayers, in which the support of Antonius is requested to get back something lost. Also interesting is the role Anthony plays in the search for a partner: whoever is looking for a partner to marry can go on a pilgrimage to Padua to ask for help from Anthony. As patron saint of the poor, donations are often collected under his name.

Iconography

Whoever wants to buy a wooden statue of St. Anthony should look at the statue carefully to determine which Antonius the carving shows. Besides the above mentioned Antonius of Padua, there are also wooden figures that depict the also already mentioned Antonius the Great. The latter can be recognized by the depiction as a teacher with a book, by the Antonius fire or an Antonius cross on the habit.

Antonio Maria Zaccaria is also venerated by believers as a saint who lived in the 16th century and founded the Order of Barnabites. Wood carvings and paintings show him with a lily and a chalice on which the host and the cross are depicted.

Here in the store there are carved wooden figures representing Anthony of Padua with the Christ Child. But also carved statues of the other two saints are available at Lignoma.

Memories and customs

Anthony of Padua will be commemorated on June 13. This day is also the name day for Anton, Anthony and other related names. On this date every year a big festival is celebrated in Manatuto, where men dress up as scarecrows. There is also a festival in Lisbon that explicitly refers to Saint Anthony.