St. Anthony of Padua was born in Lisbon at the end of the 12th century. The exact date of his birth is not known. His parents, according to the Chronicle of Friar Marcos de Lisboa, were Martim de Bulhôes and Teresa Taveira, although in some biographies of this saint his mother's name appears as Maria de Távora.
Entry into monastic life
In any case, his family was well off and Fernando Martins de Bulhôes, his given name, was able to study at the cathedral school and, at the age of 18, more or less, around 1209, he entered the monastery of Vicente de Fora, belonging to the canons regular of St. Augustine. There he dedicated himself to the study of the theological and philosophical disciplines of the time and, in a short time, he was known for his vast intellectual capacity.
He soon moved to the monastery of Santa Cruz, where he remained until 1220. The young friar's piety was matched by his intelligence and, exceptionally young, he received priestly ordination in 1221.
Take the Franciscan habit
In those years, Antonio came into contact with the Franciscan order. The example of five Franciscan friars, Berardo, Pedro, Acursio, Adyuto and Otto, martyred in Morocco and collected and repatriated to Portugal by Prince Don Pedro moved the young Fernando to follow this path and, soon after, he took the Franciscan habit and changed his name to Antonio. From the beginning, his dream was to continue the proclamation of the Gospel in Morocco, following the example of his martyred brothers.
In December 1220 he embarked with another friar on his way to Morocco. Antonio fell seriously ill and had to change his plans: he embarked back to Lisbon but a storm caused the ship to dock on the coast of Sicily, near Messina, where a "place" of the Friars Minor was located.
He remained there until the spring of 1221, when he participated in the General Chapter known as the Chapter of Mats, which was held on the Solemnity of Pentecost. In that meeting, Anthony met St. Francis and, from there, he left for Montepaolo to exercise the priesthood, celebrate the Eucharist and the sacrament of penance and help in the domestic tasks.
Preaching work
In Montepaolo, the fame of his preaching and his holy life was confirmed in the Provincial Chapter held in Forli near the feast of St. Michael, where "he surprised by the humility with which he had kept hidden his instruction, letters and depth of doctrine".
The Franciscan provincial of Emilia Romagna, Friar Graciano, conferred on him the office of preacher and Friar Antonio began his preaching work in northern Italy at a time when various currents and sects, including Cathars, Albigensians, Beguines and Waldensians, were flourishing. During this first period of his preaching, he began his classes in Bologna.
– Supernatural Benignitas He is recognized as the first "lector" in the Order, who exercised his office in the faculty of theology in Bologna, and in a similar way, the Raimundina. This stage did not last long; in 1224, he went to France, to the Languedoc region, to preach to the Albigensians.
He was in France for about three years, during which time he lived and preached in areas such as Montpellier and Toulouse.
At the end of 1226 he took part in the Chapter of the Province of Provence, convened in Arles, where he would be named "custodian" of the Franciscan Order and in France he would learn of the death of the founder of the Order, St. Francis.
In the General Chapter of 1227, St. Anthony was elected Minister of the Province of Northern Italy, Emilia Romagna and Lombardy.
Rome and Padua
Around 1228, St. Anthony preached in Padua for the first time and visited Rome. The reasons for his visit to the eternal city vary according to different sources, which even place the saint's Roman sojourn somewhat later, in 1230. The Assidua suggests that it was during this first stay in Padua that the saint would have composed the Sunday Sermons, the great literary and theological work of St. Anthony. In these sermons, Anthony offers preachers instruments for preaching and advice for teaching the faithful the doctrine of the Gospel and catechesis on the sacraments, especially penance and the Eucharist.
The preaching activity increased during these years, as recorded in the AssiduaHe reduced the enemies to fraternal harmony; he restored freedom to the imprisoned; he made them return what had been stolen by usury or violence... He rescued the prostitutes from their infamous treatment; and he kept thieves, famous for their crimes, from laying their hands on other people's property. And so, when the forty days had happily passed, the harvest was great, pleasing in the eyes of God, which he gathered with his zeal".
Shortly thereafter, after an exhausting preaching work, he retired to Camposampiero, about twenty kilometers from Padua, to the hermitage built for the friars by Count Tiso.
In the first days of June 1231 he fell ill and was transferred to Arcella, a suburb of the city of Padua where the friars who assisted the convent of the Poor Ladies were located. There he died and on June 17, 1231 he was buried in the church of the Paduan convent of Santa Maria Mater Domini.
His reputation for holiness was such that 352 days after his death, on May 30, 1232, St. Anthony was canonized under the pontificate of Gregory IX.
The baby Jesus, the lily and the book
Saint Anthony of Padua is frequently represented with the Child Jesus in his arms. This image has its origin in the Liber miracolorum. This text records how, during the time he lived in Camposampiero, St. Anthony had a small hut built, where he spent most of the day and night dedicated to meditation and prayer and which was the scene of the vision of the child Jesus. It was Count Tisso who once saw how, miraculously, the saint held the Child Jesus in his arms. It was the Child himself who warned Anthony that the Count had witnessed it. The saint forbade the Count to divulge it until he had died.
Along with this image, we find in the iconography of St. Anthony two elements more common in the representations of the saints: the lily and the book. The lily or the lilies that frequently accompany the image of St. Anthony refer to his clean and chaste life, while the book refers to his learned life and his work in preaching and exposing the truths of the faith.
The lost book
One of the "popular devotions" of St. Anthony refers to his power of intercession to find lost objects. The fame derives from an event also recorded in the Liber miraculorum. This text refers to the theft of the Psalter used by St. Anthony for his lessons at the hands of a novice.
This novice encountered the devil when he was fleeing with the manuscript, as he passed the river bridge; the devil threatened him, saying: "Return to your Order and return to the servant of God, Friar Anthony, the Psalter; if not, I will throw you into the river, where you will drown with your sin".
The novice, repentant, returned the Psalter and humbly confessed his guilt to St. Anthony, who had been praying to meet him.
