The sanctuary of St Anthony
In Padua, St Anthony is simply "il Santo", the Saint, and his basilica, the Basilica di Sant'Antonio, is one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in the world. Anthony, born in Lisbon in 1195, a Franciscan friar and a famous preacher, died near Padua in 1231 and was proclaimed a saint less than a year later. The basilica, begun immediately after his death, combines Romanesque, Gothic and Byzantine elements, with eight domes and two slender bell towers that recall a mosque, and has been under the jurisdiction of the Holy See since 1929.
Inside, the Chapel of the Tomb, a Renaissance masterpiece with marble reliefs by Tullio and Antonio Lombardo and Jacopo Sansovino, holds the saint's tomb, which pilgrims touch while praying; the walls are covered with ex-votos and photographs of people who received graces. The Chapel of the Relics, or Treasury, preserves the saint's tongue and jaw, found intact when his body was exhumed in 1263. On the high altar are Donatello's bronze sculptures, and in the square in front of the basilica stands his equestrian statue of the Gattamelata, the condottiero Erasmo da Narni, the first great bronze equestrian monument since antiquity.
Tip: the cloisters and the Oratory of St George, with frescoes by Altichiero, are next to the basilica; on 13 June, St Anthony's day, a great procession crosses the city.
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