Santo António Church

Santo António Church
Main façade of Santo António Church. The church at the background is Lisbon Cathedral.
Interior viewed torwards the main altarpiece.

The Santo António Church (Portuguese: Igreja de Santo António de Lisboa) is located in Lisbon, Portugal. It is dedicated to Saint Anthony of Lisbon, best known around the Christian world as Saint Anthony of Padua. According to tradition, the church was built on the site where the saint was born, in 1195.

History

Fernando de Bulhões - Saint Anthony - was born in Lisbon in 1195, the son of a wealthy family. In 1220, while studying in Coimbra, he entered the Franciscan Order, adopting the name António. His missionary travels would lead him to Italy, where he settled in Padua. Due to his immense popularity, he was canonised less than a year after his death, in 1232.

The site of the family house where Fernando was born, located very close to Lisbon Cathedral, was turned into a small chapel in the 15th century. This early building, from which nothing remains, was rebuilt in the early 16th century, during the reign of King Manuel I. The Lisbon Senate was located on a house just beside the chapel. A religious brotherhood (Irmandade de Santo António) dedicated to the saint was founded in the 16th century.

In 1730, under King John V, the church was rebuilt and redecorated. In the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake the Santo António Church was destroyed, with only the main chapel left standing. It was fully rebuilt after 1767 to a Baroque-Rococo design by architect Mateus Vicente de Oliveira. This is the church that can be visited today.

Since 1755 a procession leaves the church every June 13th, passes by Lisbon Cathedral and goes through the slopes of Alfama neighbourhood, located nearby. The 13th of June is Saint Anthony's "patron saint day" and occurs in the "Popular Saint Festivities" celebrated by Lisbon; during the morning special bread is given to the oldest women of each family.

On May 12th 1982, Pope John Paul II visited the church. He inaugurated a statue of Saint Anthony (by sculptor Soares Branco) in the square in front of the church and prayed in the crypt, which marks the spot where the saint was born.

References and external links

Coordinates: 38°42′36″N 9°08′01″W / 38.71°N 9.13361°W / 38.71; -9.13361


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Santo António Church (Lisbon) — The Santo António Church (Portuguese: Igreja de Santo António de Lisboa ) is located in Lisbon, Portugal. It is dedicated to Saint Anthony of Lisbon, best known around the Christian world as Saint Anthony of Padua. According to tradition, the… …   Wikipedia

  • Santo António da Serra (Santa Cruz) — Santo António da Serra (Portuguese for Saint Anthony and mountain range ) is a parish in the district of Santa Cruz in the Madeira Islands. The population in 2001 is 982, its density is 66,5/km² and the area is 14.77 km²/1,477 ha. It is located W …   Wikipedia

  • Santo António da Serra (Machico) — Santo António da Serra (Portuguese for Saint Anthony and mountain range ) is a parish in the district of Machico in the Madeira Islands. The population in 2001 is 1,355, its density is 156.6/km² and the area is 8.65 km². It is located ENE of… …   Wikipedia

  • Santo António — is the main settlement of Príncipe island in São Tomé and Príncipe and was the then colony s capital from 1753 until 1852. It lies on the north east coast and the Palhota River. It serves as the capital of both Príncipe Province and the district… …   Wikipedia

  • Santo António (Ponta Delgada) — Santo António (Portuguese for Saint Anthony ) is a parish in the district of Ponta Delgada in the Azores. The population in 2001 was 2,004, its density is 170.8/km² and the area is 11.73 km². It is located in the northwestern part of the island… …   Wikipedia

  • Santo António de Nordestinho — (first part, Portuguese for Saint Anthony ) is a parish in the district of Nordeste, Azores in the Azores. It is located near Nordeste. The main industry is agriculture. It is connected with a road linking Ribeira Grande and Povoação. On July 16 …   Wikipedia

  • Antônio Conselheiro — ( Anthony the Counselor , real name Antônio Vicente Mendes Maciel, March 13, 1830, Quixeramobim, state of Ceará, Brazil – September 22, 1897, Bello Monte, also known as Canudos, state of Bahia) was a religious man, preacher, and founder of the… …   Wikipedia

  • Santo Stefano, Venice — West front …   Wikipedia

  • Santo Spirito in Sassia — (Holy Spirit in Saxony) is a 12th century basilica church in Rome. It has been erected in Borgo Santo Spirito, a street which got its name from the church, placed in the southern part of Rione Borgo. The church …   Wikipedia

  • Church of La Soledad, Mexico City — Church of La Soledad Iglesia de Santa Cruz y La Soledad (Spanish) Facade of the church Basic information Location Mexico City …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”