Anthony of Padua

The future great saint was born in 1195 in the family of a noble Lisbon knight Martin de Bouillon. At baptism, the boy received the name Fernando. The boy grew up alive and restless, and his father had no doubt that he would follow in his footsteps and choose a knightly path. But at a young age, Fernando decided to become a monk and entered the Lisbon Monastery of St. Vincent, belonging to the Order of Regular Canonics (branch of the Augustinians ).

A few years later the young monk became disillusioned with the reclusive monastic life. The death of his father in the battle with the Moors at Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212, as well as the martyrdom of five Franciscans in Morocco , whom Fernando met when they drove through Lisbon, aroused in him a burning desire to preach the Gospel . In his heart of hearts, he dreamed of a martyrdom, believing that death could not be more beautiful than death for faith.

In 1220, Fernando left the order of regular canons and became a Franciscan, adopting the monastic name Anthony.

In the same year, he made an attempt to fulfill his dream and, accompanied by a Franciscan named Philip, went to Morocco to preach Christianity to Muslims. However, the serious illness that overtook Anthony in Africa forced them to abandon their plans and return to Europe. During the return, the ship fell into a fierce storm, and was finally nailed to the shores of Sicily . Anthony saw God's will in it and decided to stay in Italy . Until his death, he no longer saw his homeland.

From Sicily, Anthony went to the general chapter of the Order of the Franciscans, where he met with the founder of the order, St. Francis of Assisi . After the capitol, Anthony, at his request, was sent to a remote monastery of Monte Paolo near the city of Forlì , where he led an unremarkable quiet life, when he once won a friendly competition to the amazement of everyone and to his own amazement all outstanding speakers, both of their order and the Dominican .

Soon he was sent to study with the famous theologian Thomas Gallon , and after completing his studies Anthony himself began to teach theology at the University of Bologna .

At the next chapter of the order, Francis of Assisi instructed Anthony to preach in the cities of northern Italy, captured by the heresy of the Cathars .

Anthony went straight to Rimini , the city where the Cathars had the most supporters. Anthony's fiery sermons and miracles performed by him quickly returned the city to the fold of the Church, after which the saint continued his preaching work among heretics in the south of France . St. Sermon Antonia was successful even in Toulouse , a city owned by Albigensian leader Raymond of Toulouse .

In 1224, Anthony became rector of the Franciscan monastery near the city of Le Puy . The fame of his preaching, miracles, and virtuous life grew wider; he was called the "Light of the Order." On the next chapter, Anthony was elected a provincial of southern France, then he visited Sicily, where he founded several new monasteries, and then he was elected provincial of Northern Italy, where it was turbulent - the Guelphs fought with the Ghibellines , the tyrant princes fought with each other or robbed on the roads.

It took all the power of oratory talent of St. Anthony and the painstaking work of his brothers to bring people to peace. The bloodiest tyrant of Italy, Ezzelino III da Romano, was so shocked by the courage of a saint who alone went to his castle that he released the prisoners in the castle.

Pope Gregory IX offered Anthony an honorary post in the Roman Curia, but the saint refused. His last years of life passed in Padua .

St. Anthony was canonized almost immediately after his death - in 1232.

In 1263, his relics were transferred to the magnificent Basilica of St. Anthony , which the inhabitants of Padua built in honor of the saint. It turned out that the language and vocal chords of the great preacher remained intact.

On January 16, 1946, Pope Pius XII proclaimed St. Anthony of Padua the Teacher of the Church .

On June 13, 2014, scientists from the University of the Padua Museum of Anthropology, the Anthony Center for Research, and a group of 3D technologists presented a recreated image of the head of St. Anthony of Padua ^[2] .

St. Anthony is considered the patron saint of Lisbon and Padua . The city of San Antonio in the USA is named after him. He is also considered the patron saint of the poor and traveling. St. Anthony is addressed as an assistant in gaining lost values. From the end of the 19th century , the custom to call donations to the poor collected in the church “the bread of St. Anthony” has spread.

Numerous church fraternities considered St. Anthony as their patron. There is a small monastic women's congregation - “sisters of St. Anthony”, engaged in charity work.

The memory of St. Anthony in the Catholic Church - June 13 .

Paintings dedicated to St. Anthony, as a rule, reflect the events of his life, mainly his miracles: a sermon to the fishes ( Veronese ), the appearance of the baby Jesus ( Murillo and Van Dyck ), a miracle with a donkey kneeling before the Holy Gifts (“Miracle” St. Anthony ”, unknown Flemish artist of the 16th century ), Giotto portrayed St. Anthony during the sermon. Pictures about St. Anthony are also in Zurbaran , Titian and other great artists.

• Anthianism

• Anthony of Padua // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron : 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• V. Hunerman. St. Anthony of Padua Der Gottesrufen von Padua ./2 ed. Spanish and add. - M.: Publishing. Franciscans, 2004. ISBN 5-89208-053-6
• Anthony of Padua // Catholic Encyclopedia . - M.: Publishing. Franciscans. 2002.
• Dal-Gal, N. St. Anthony of Padua. // The Catholic Encyclopedia . Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 9 Aug. 2012 (English)
• Krotov Ya. G. Saint on a tree