The Lives of the Saints through 100 Masterpieces

Anthony оf Padua

The Lives of the Saints 32 Anthony оf Padua June 13 His name was not Anthony, but rather, Fernando. He did not come from Padua, but was a native of Lisbon and a descendant of Godfrey of Bouillon. Born in 1195, he at first desired to be part of the drive for peaceful evangelization—missions, in the modern sense of the word—beginning to replace the warring tradition of the Crusades. After a brief and unsuccessful attempt at this in Morocco, he gained the shores of Italy to join the order of itinerant friars that Francis of Assisi had recently formed. It was then that his extraordinary talent as an orator was discovered, somewhat by accident. From that point on, he focused on preaching and with immense success. When he would arrive at a village, all activities would cease and the entire population would come hear him. It is even said that on one occasion, when men were too busy to listen, he set himself by the mouth of a river and began to evangelize the fish that gathered in great numbers to follow the sermon. He had no qualms about backing his preaching with miracles. To convince a heretic about the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, he presented a consecrated host to a mule, and immediately the animal bent its forelegs in a bow. The Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus would also appear to him, even in public. After having preached in Italy, Spain, and France—notably in the Languedoc region during the crusade against the Albigensians—he settled in Padua, where he died at age 36. For all the admiration his lofty preaching commanded, he is most known in our day as the patron saint of the lost and found. Francisco de Zurbarán (1598–1664) Saint Anthony of Padua Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Havana ...