St Anthony of Padua

Sant'Antonio di Padova · Santo António de Lisboa

Lisbon-born Franciscan preacher, finder of lost things and Lisbon's matchmaker saint

Born Fernando in Lisbon in 1195, Anthony became a Franciscan friar and one of the most gifted preachers of his age, drawing crowds to the squares of Italy and France. He died at thirty-six near Padua, was canonized within a year, and was named a Doctor of the Church in 1946. Portuguese Catholics call him Santo António de Lisboa, and Italians know him as Sant'Antonio di Padova. Both claim him with love.

Devotees ask his help when something is lost. They also turn to him as patron of the poor, sailors, fisherfolk, priests and travellers. In Lisbon he is the beloved matchmaker saint of love and marriage. His feast on 13 June is a municipal holiday there, celebrated with parades and sardines, and his tomb is in Padua. St Anthony's Bread is a devotion of almsgiving in his name.

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The vision of Saint Anthony of Padua, 1656date QS:P571,+1656-00-00T00:00:00Z/9. Wikimedia Commons (public domain), Bartolomé Esteban Murillo

How to recognise St Anthony of Padua

Franciscan habitA plain hooded habit, most often brown in art, though some Franciscan branches wear grey or black, marks him as a friar.
Knotted cordA white rope at the waist with three knots stands for the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
Tonsure and youthful faceLook for a young, clean-shaven friar with the Franciscan tonsure, a shaved crown ringed with hair; he is never shown bearded or elderly.
White liliesA stem of lilies in one hand stands for his purity and his lifelong struggle against the devil, and it appears beside the book from the 15th century.
Closed bookThe book in his other hand is his oldest attribute and stands for his knowledge, teaching and preaching, inspired by the Bible.
The Christ ChildA small, haloed Child on his arm or standing on his book recalls a vision that tradition says a householder witnessed, and since the 17th century it is the most common way to show him.
HaloA saint's halo crowns his head.

Names and titles

Finder of Lost ThingsHe is invoked for the return of lost property, from the story of a stolen book returned after he prayed
Wonder Worker of PaduaHonoured as a miracle worker, whose tomb in Padua is still a pilgrimage site
Ark of the TestamentA title Pope Gregory IX is said to have used when canonizing him, for his deep knowledge of Scripture
Preacher to the FishesTradition says that when the people of Rimini would not listen, he preached to the fish at the river mouth, and they gathered to hear him
Companion of the Christ ChildRecalls the vision in which a host is said to have seen the Child in his arms