Biography
Anthony was born in Lisbon, entered religious life, and became a Franciscan preacher and teacher renowned for his knowledge of Scripture. His final ministry was closely associated with Padua, where devotion at his tomb quickly became international.
The Basilica of St. Anthony preserves the principal tomb, while Arcella remembers his death. During the 1263 translation of his remains, St. Bonaventure found Anthony’s tongue intact; Padua’s Chapel of the Relics now preserves the tongue, jawbone, and vocal apparatus in relation to the saint’s preaching. National shrines in Albania, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere represent later devotion and should not be confused with burial or lifetime sites.
How to read this pilgrimage
Padua provides the historical core: preaching, death, tomb, and relics. International sanctuaries reveal the extraordinary geographic reach of devotion to the saint.
St. Anthony of Padua, pray for us.