Anthony of Padua Feast Day

The History of Saint Anthony of Padua

Anthony of Padua (Fernando Martins de Bulhoyes) was born on August 15, 1195. Anthony was born into a wealthy family and raised in the church. At the age of 15 he decided to study theology and Latin. In 2210 he joined the Augustinian Canons of St. Vincent near Lisbon and probably became a priest and later played an important role in that monastery. In 1220, he joined the Franciscan order, hoping to preach to the Saracens (Muslims) and be martyred, and took a new name - Anthony (after the name of the chapel dedicated to St. Anthony the Great). On the way to Morocco, he became seriously ill and was forced to return home. However, his ship, returning to Portugal, was blown off course and eventually landed in Sicily. Due to ongoing illness and poor health, he was not allowed to continue his missionary work among the Saracens. Instead, he taught theology in Bologna, Italy, and in Montpellier, Toulouse and Puy-en-Velay in the south of France, where he was admired as a preacher. He died on the way to Padua, Italy, on June 13, 1231, where he was buried.

Anthony was canonized on May 30, 1232. He is venerated as Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint Anthony of Lisbon. Anthony's death is surrounded by various legends. One of them says that the children cried and all the church bells rang by themselves when Anthony died. Another says that Anthony was buried in the chapel. A large basilica was built in his honor, where his tongue was displayed in a large reliquary for worship.

Saint Anthony is the patron saint of Lisbon and Padua (the places of his birth and death). The Feast of Saint Anthony is a municipal holiday in Lisbon, celebrated with parades and a popular date for marriage ceremonies. This is a public holiday in the Spanish city of Ceuta, which was a Portuguese colony in 1415.

Anthony was the most famous of the followers of St. Francis of Assisi and had a reputation as a miracle worker. On January 16, 1946, Pope Pius XII declared him a Doctor of the Church. Images and artwork of Saint Anthony of Padua often show him holding the baby Jesus in his arms, a lily, a book, and bread. There is a Hermitage in Ceuta dedicated to him. Inside is a statue depicting him as a Franciscan friar holding the baby Jesus. The area at his feet is often decorated with fresh white lilies. Among his original writings are sermons for Sundays and holidays, published in Padua in three volumes in 1979.

Venerable Anthony the Great - Flower of the Desert

From the book “Synaxarion: Lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church,” published by the Sretensky Monastery Publishing House.

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Saint Anthony, the first flower of the desert, was born around 251 in the small village of Koma[1] in the valley of the Nile River.
His parents were Christians, rich and noble by birth, and raised their son in the faith and fear of God. They themselves were involved in his education, since Anthony did not participate in noisy games of his peers, and felt only contempt for secular sciences. He left the house only to go to church, where he listened with attention to the reading of holy books and stories about the exploits of saints. When Anthony was about 20 years old, his parents died. Remaining the eldest in the family, he took responsibility for raising his younger sister. One day he was heading to the temple, reflecting on the serene and devoid of any worries life of the apostles and the first Christians, and then he heard the reading of the gospel words: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your property and give it to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven; and come and follow Me” (Matthew 19:21). Convinced that these words were spoken especially for him, he immediately divided all the lands he owned among his neighbors, sold all the furniture and distributed the proceeds to the poor, leaving for himself only a small part necessary to raise his sister. Another time, having heard the words: “Do not worry about tomorrow” (Matthew 6:34), Anthony decided to completely renounce the world, distributed the remains of his estate, entrusted the care of his sister to virtuous people and, leaving home, set off towards an ascetic life.

At that time there were no organized monasteries. Sometimes you could meet a person who led a hermit's life not far from his village, spending his days in prayer and fasting. One of these elders labored near the village of Antonia, and he decided to imitate him. He also settled down in a deserted place and, freeing his mind from all worldly cares and memories of his past life, engaged in manual labor, giving the proceeds to the poor, meditated on the sacred books and made every effort to achieve unceasing heartfelt prayer. Every time Anthony heard about the virtues of some hermit, he, like a hard-working bee, went to such a person and observed his humility, mortification of the flesh, diligence in prayer and contemplation, and then, returning to his cell, tried to imitate these virtues.

However, the devil, envious of all the good deeds of men, could not bear such ardor in such a young man and began a war against him. At first, he instilled in Anthony memories of the property that he gave away, about the sister he abandoned, and about all the joys of his past life. Then the devil presented to the ascetic in a terrible form the difficulties of the ascetic life, his bodily weakness, the long battle that he would have to endure for many years, and a great many other similar thoughts.

As Anthony stubbornly resisted this satanic siege by firmness of faith, patience and unceasing prayer, the evil one launched an attack on the other flank. He began to put unclean thoughts into the hermit’s mind and inflame his youthful feelings with a lot of obscene advice. However, the ascetic showed perseverance. Then at night the devil took the form of a woman and began to persuade Anthony to sin with shameless gestures. The awake warrior of Christ pushed Satan away from himself with the memory of hellish punishments. The tormented demon then appeared before the saint in the form of an ugly, gloomy child and, calling himself a prodigal spirit, admitted his defeat. Seeing such a rather comical phenomenon, Anthony contemptuously pushed away the evil one with the singing of the psalm: “The Lord is my Helper: and I will look upon my enemies” (Ps. 117: 7). Anthony was truly convinced that it was not he who won his first victory, but the grace of God that abided in him (cf. 1 Cor. 15:10).

Warned by the Holy Scriptures about various demonic machinations, Anthony wisely did not allow himself to relax in deceptive security. Being vigilant all the time, he worked with even greater diligence to free himself from bodily dependence, fearing that, having won a victory in one battle, he would not suffer defeat in another. From now on, reinforcing his determination with a holy habit, the ascetic could, without much difficulty, often spend the whole night in prayer, eat only a little bread and salt, and then once every two days, and refuse any human pleasures. He forgot that he had already lived for more than one year in such exploits, but, “only ... stretching forward” (Phil. 3: 13), he perceived each new day as the beginning of his ascetic life, adding to himself the words of the prophet Elijah: “As the Lord of hosts lives , before whom I stand” (1 Kings 18:15).

So the ascetic gradually went on the offensive and chose one of the ancient tombs, carved by the pagans, as a secluded refuge.
Unable to bear such a challenge, Satan launched an assault at night along with a horde of demons. The evil forces dealt Anthony so many blows that he was left lying on the ground, covered with wounds. When his friend, who was bringing food, discovered the saint in this form, half dead, he hastily carried him to the village church. However, as soon as he came to his senses, Anthony began to beg his friend to take him back to the crypt. Not having the strength to stand on his feet, the ascetic prayed lying down and steadfastly did not succumb to demons. Then they made their way into the tomb in large numbers, taking the form of all kinds of wild animals and reptiles. The valiant warrior, besieged from all sides, pushed away the creatures, shouting loudly: “If you had any power, then one of you would be enough to defeat me. But since the Lord has taken away your strength, you are trying to intimidate me with numbers. You have stooped to the point of taking the form of irrational animals - and this is a sign of your weakness. If you have any power over me, don’t hesitate any longer, attack! If you don’t have any of this and you can’t do anything, then it is useless for you to act in this way. The sign of the cross and faith are my impenetrable wall!” The demons, powerless to do anything, could only grind their teeth in rage. In the end, the Lord Jesus Christ came to the saint’s aid. The roof of the crypt seemed to open up, and a ray of light that fell on Anthony healed his wounds and put the spirits of darkness to flight. Then Anthony asked: “Where have you been, Lord? Why didn’t You stop this battle earlier?” To which Christ answered him: “I was here, next to you. But I wanted to witness your battle. Because you resisted with such courage, I will henceforth forever be your protector and glorify your name on earth.”

Anthony, who was 35 years old at the time (in 286), after these battles felt an even greater surge of strength and ardor and decided to go alone into the depths of the desert. Having reached the eastern bank of the Nile, he found an abandoned old fortress on the mountain and, having driven out the reptiles who lived there, shut himself up in it completely alone, forbidding anyone to enter there. He spent 20 years in such seclusion, and only once every six months did a friend bring him bread, which he threw over the wall.

After some time, rumors about the ascetic spread, and many people began to come to this place. They remained outside the walls and only heard a loud noise coming from inside and the voices of demons shouting at the one who so boldly dared to come and occupy their home. One day, in an abundance of zeal, Anthony’s admirers broke down the door and saw the ascetic surrounded by radiance, as if emerging from some mysterious sanctuary. His physical appearance remained the same as it was 20 years ago, despite fasting and fighting demons, and his soul acquired the same state of purity as Adam had before the Fall.

From that time on, Anthony agreed to accept students, the number of which was increasing. Around 306, he founded two monasteries: one to the east of the Nile, in Pispira[2], and the other on the left bank, near Arsinoe. Peace in his heart and a mind constantly turned to God gave Anthony the power to reconcile enemies with his mere presence, make those around him merciful, and heal illnesses with prayer.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Anthony instructed the monks in spiritual sciences. He recommended that they never give up in the face of trials and not lose their initial zeal, but, on the contrary, increase it every day, as if they had just begun to struggle, and for this he taught them to meditate on the words of the apostle: “I die every day” ( 1 Corinthians 15:31).

He said this: “Let us try not to possess anything except what we will take with us to the grave: we will know mercy, gentleness, justice, etc. Virtue, that is, the Kingdom of Heaven, needs only our will, since it is located in ourselves. In reality, it is to preserve the spiritual component of our soul in its pristine purity and beauty. If we remain as we were created, then we remain in virtue.

By vigilantly guarding our hearts from being stained by evil thoughts, from being excited by pleasures and from outbursts of anger, we will be able to resist the attacks of the demons around us, who use every opportunity to prevent Christians from ascending to heaven and occupying those places from which the demons were cast out because of their pride and rebellion. Only at the cost of constant ascetic life and many prayers can we receive from the Holy Spirit the gift of discerning spirits in order to unravel their tricks and outplay them. First, demons attack us through bad thoughts, then, if we push away these thoughts with the help of faith, prayer and fasting, fallen angels again begin to besiege us through various visions in the hope of scaring us. Once again repulsed by the power of Christ, the demons try to deceive us by pretending that they can predict future events, which only God can do, but which they are able to cleverly imitate thanks to the agility of their incorporeal nature.

If they see that we still remain steadfast, then their prince himself, Satan, appears on the stage in all his splendor, surrounded by a deceptive light, which is nothing more than the image of the fire prepared for him in eternity. Satan begins to offer us visions, revelations, ascetic labors and builds all sorts of intrigues so that we fall into pride and deception. Don't be afraid of all these attacks. Having lost their power after the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, but not wanting to remain inactive, evil spirits can only threaten us with words, noise and futile appearances. If they had been endowed with any power, they would not have needed to resort to such pomp, and they would have stopped the increase in the number of Christians long ago. We must fear the one God, and feel nothing but contempt for demons, and certainly not fear. For they fear nothing so much as the fasting of monks, their humility, patience, love for God and their neighbors. If you see any vision, do not be afraid, but ask the one before you: “Who are you? And where did you come from?” If this vision is holy, your doubts will immediately dissipate, and your fear will change to joy. If it is from the devil, then he will immediately take flight when he sees your firmness. All these tests being sent to you are useful. Take away temptation and no one will be saved.”[3]

Under the influence of St. Anthony, “the desert,” as it is said in his life, “turned into a monastic city, the inhabitants of which renounced the world in order to become residents of the Heavenly City.”
All these monasteries were like temples, where people, harmoniously united by one goal that they had set for themselves, spent their lives singing psalms, meditating on the Holy Scriptures, fasting, joyful prayer and hope for future blessings. At this time, Emperor Maximin Daza rekindled the fire of persecution of Christians in Egypt, and rivers of blood flowed in Alexandria (308). The Monk Anthony, burning with the desire to accept the crown of martyrdom, went to Alexandria and boldly faced danger, ministering to confessors thrown behind bars, visiting them in prisons and mines, inspiring them to persevere to the end. Despite Anthony's burning desire to share their fate, God saved him for other battles: he was not captured and returned to the monastery, where he continued his bloodless martyrdom, intensifying his ascetic deeds.

Still remaining a recluse, he continued to perform miracles, and the flow of those who came to him only increased. Therefore, the Monk Anthony decided to retire further into the desert alone. Having joined the Bedouin caravan, Anthony reached the mountainous region of Kolzum[4], located in the desert near the Red Sea, three days' walk from the Nile. There he stopped, having received a blessing for this in Divine revelation. Since wild animals visited the local spring and muddied its water, the saint delicately removed them with one sound of his voice. He planted a small vegetable garden, which provided him with food, and thus could completely indulge in contemplation and battle with furious demons. Only sometimes, very rarely, did one of his friends come to visit him. The confidence that the ease of close communication with the Lord gave him made his mind unshakable, like Mount Sinai, so that the demons fled in all directions, and the wild animals lived with him in peace.

So several years passed, and Anthony, already old, decided to go to Pispir to visit friends. On the way, he dug a spring in the desert and gave water to his companions, who were languishing with thirst. The joy at the arrival of the man of God was great, and all the monks considered his visit as a reason to increase their zeal in the struggle for virtue. On the way back, a huge crowd of people followed Anthony right up to his mountain: some asked to heal bodily ailments, others sought moral support and spiritual guidance. The monk gave to everyone according to his needs, like God Himself.

He broke his silence only when he received inspiration from the Holy Spirit. Then he spoke words from the Holy Scriptures, as if he himself were their author. He could say with hope: “I no longer fear God - I love Him. For “perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18).” Therefore, in his teachings, he especially insisted on brotherly charity and purification of the heart. He also said: “Life and death depend on the future. After all, it is so: if we gain a brother, we gain God; but if we are an occasion for sin to our brother, we sin against Christ.”

Like a father full of compassion, he knew how to ease the ascetic tension of his students at the right time with some distracting activity and taught them a lesson received at one time from an angel: to alternate pure prayer, singing psalms and physical labor, in this way to fight despondency.
He perceived the suffering of those who came to him as his own and prayed for everyone. When God performed healing through him, he thanked Him, and when God refused him this, he also thanked and exhorted the unfortunate not to lose hope. Once, during prayer, the Monk Anthony was delighted in spirit and felt as if he was lifted bodily into the air by angels who were removing a horde of demons from him. The latter wanted to shamelessly check his behavior from birth.

The ascetic’s face expressed such a radiance of purity and all the movements of his body so accurately conveyed the dispassionate state of his soul that one could feel how peace, joy and gentleness flowed around him. Everyone who saw the monk, even without knowing him, was irresistibly drawn to him. He could read hearts like an open book and, like a skilled physician, always prescribed the proper remedy. Therefore, all of Egypt saw him as their father and doctor, and the highest ranking people came to his distant desert to talk or simply receive a blessing. Emperor Constantine the Great himself, as well as his sons, wrote to St. Anthony as a father, wanting to receive an answer from him.

Indifferent to all worldly honors and constantly turning his mind to the God present in him, Anthony was very enlightened by God in all sciences, so as to confuse the wise of this world. Vainglorious pagan philosophers and scientists came with contempt to look at this illiterate, about whom, nevertheless, all of Egypt was talking. And he, having uttered just a few words, destroyed their self-confidence. He showed them how the wisdom of this world turned into foolishness thanks to the madness of the Cross, he proved the stupidity of myths that reduce God to the likeness of animals or man-made things, while the teaching of Christ elevates man to communion with the Divine nature. He forced them to recognize the futility of trying to achieve through speech and reasoning what Christians know through faith and the power of spiritual experience. And finally, the monk consolidated his victory by healing those possessed by the power of Christ, and sent his guests away completely embarrassed.

The Monk Anthony always treated the clergy and hierarchy with great respect.
Of course, he was completely far from any church affairs, but this did not make him any less strongly supportive of the Orthodox faith, which was in great danger in those troubled times. Since the Arians of Alexandria had spread the rumor that the famous hermit shared their crazy doctrine, the saint resolutely went to the noisy capital to clearly declare before the entire population who had gathered to look at him about his belief in the Divinity of the Son and Word of God, about his unconditional approval of the doctrine , adopted at the Council of Nicea, and with all the support of St. Athanasius (338). When the monk reached 105 years old, he went, according to his custom, to visit the monks who lived on the nearest mountain, and announced to them with joy that the Lord would soon call him to his real homeland. The saint inspired them to continue to spend all their days in ascetic labors, as if death were very close, to imitate the example of the saints, to carefully preserve the inspired tradition of their fathers and to avoid all communication with heretics. Then he again withdrew far into the desert together with two disciples who helped him: Macarius (January 19) and Amata.

Before his death, he commanded them not to transfer his body to Egypt for fear that he would be embalmed, since pagan customs were still in force, and ordered them to bury him in a place that no one would know about. He bequeathed part of his clothes to two great confessors of Orthodoxy: Saint Athanasius and Saint Serapion of Tmuite, and his hair shirt to two closest disciples, so that while wearing these clothes they would be covered with his invisible protection. Then, with a joyful expression on his face, as if friends were coming to meet him, he peacefully departed to the Lord on January 17, 356.

The fame of the father of all monks spread everywhere. For many centuries now, his biography, lovingly written by Saint Athanasius of Alexandria shortly after the death of the saint (357), has given souls striving for God a perfect example of the path that should be followed in order to achieve perfection in the Christian life.

The body of St. Anthony, according to legend, was found as a result of one vision in 561 and transferred to Alexandria. Around 635, due to the threat of Arab invasion, he was transferred to Constantinople, and around 1070, according to Western sources, a certain feudal ruler from Dauphiné brought part of the relics of the Monk Anthony to France (now Saint-Antoine-en-Dauphine), where they remain to this day attract many pilgrims.

Compiled by Hieromonk Macarius of Simonopetra, adapted Russian translation by the Sretensky Monastery Publishing House.

How to celebrate the Day of St. Anthony of Padua

Many Christians attend special church services to celebrate the life of St. Anthony of Padua. His statue is then taken away and paraded through the streets of Ceuta. Many people follow him in the parade. Some also host communal meals later in the day. They often serve wine and paella (meat, fish and shellfish with rice and saffron), cooked in pans about four meters (12 ft) in diameter.

Many people, especially in France, Portugal, Spain and Italy, believe that St. Anthony of Padua will help them find a romantic partner or spouse. For this reason, single young people can pray at his altar or spend some time sitting on the steps of his altar in Ceuta on June 13th.

• 2020 — June 13 (Sat)
• 2021 — June 13 (Sun)
• 2022 — June 13 (Mon)
• 2023 - June 13 (Tue)
• 2024 - June 13 (Thu)
• 2025 — June 13 (Fri)

Creations and books of teachings

The hermit did not read and write. All his statements were recorded by his followers.

Sayings and instructions

Anthony talked a lot about the meaning of life. His words were distinguished by simplicity and depth of thought.

Famous Quotes

His statements about loneliness are known, when he said that “if a person could not live next to people, then he cannot be alone.”

He emphasized that only a “humble” person can cope with life’s traps, adversities, and troubles.

Sayings for the laity

Anthony addressed many wise words to ordinary people. He wanted non-believers to find faith and be able to come to terms with themselves.