Basilica di Sant’Antonio (1232-1310): la lingua incorrotta ritrovata nel 1263 da san Bonaventura, ancora venerata oggi
Trentadue anni dopo la morte di sant’Antonio, nel 1263, san Bonaventura da Bagnoregio assistette alla prima traslazione del suo corpo — e scoprì che la lingua del santo, predicatore instancabile, era rimasta perfettamente incorrotta. Ogni 15 febbraio, la “Festa della Lingua” ricorda ancora oggi quell’evento straordinario; la reliquia si venera tuttora nella cappella dell’Arca, mentre la basilica che la custodisce accoglie ogni anno 6,5 milioni di pellegrini.
About the Basilica of Saint Anthony
Anthony of Padua, the Franciscan friar and celebrated preacher, died near Arcella on 13 June 1231; his body was placed in the small church of Santa Maria Mater Domini, where he had briefly stayed between 1229 and 1231. Pope Gregory IX canonised him just one year later, on 30 May 1232, at Spoleto Cathedral, and construction of a much larger basilica to accommodate the growing crowds of pilgrims began that same year, incorporating the original small church as what is now known as the Chapel of the Madonna Mora. Construction continued until around 1310, with further modifications extending into the 15th century, partly prompted by a fire in 1394 that damaged the campanile and required significant restructuring of the ambulatory and choir. The completed basilica presents a striking fusion of architectural styles: a Romanesque facade, Gothic flying buttresses and radiating chapels, eight lead-covered domes in a Byzantine style transmitted via Venice, and twin bell towers rising 68 metres, their slender, soaring form recalling Islamic minarets. In 1263, thirty-two years after Anthony’s death, Saint Bonaventure of Bagnoregio witnessed the first translation of the saint’s remains and discovered that his tongue — the instrument of his renowned preaching — had remained miraculously incorrupt; this event is commemorated every year on 15 February as the “Feast of the Tongue,” and the relic remains venerated today in the Chapel of the Ark, a splendid 16th-century Renaissance work whose walls bear nine marble reliefs depicting scenes from the saint’s life and miracles. Before their demolition in 1448 to make way for later renovations, the high altar’s sculptural programme included seven bronze statues by Donatello — a Madonna and Child alongside Saints Francis, Anthony, Justina, Daniel, Louis, and Prosdocimus — works that remain integral to the basilica’s artistic legacy today. The basilica now receives an estimated 6.5 million pilgrims annually, making it one of the most visited shrines in all of Christendom.
Key facts
- 13 June 1231: death of Saint Anthony near Arcella
- 30 May 1232: canonisation by Pope Gregory IX, just one year after death
- 1232-c. 1310: basilica constructed, incorporating the original small church
- 1263: first translation of the relics; Saint Bonaventure discovers the incorrupt tongue
- 1394: fire damages the campanile, prompting 15th-century restructuring
- Architecture: eight Byzantine-style domes, twin 68-metre minaret-like bell towers
- Before 1448: Donatello’s seven bronze statues adorn the high altar
- Today: approximately 6.5 million pilgrims annually
History
The extraordinarily rapid pace of Anthony’s canonisation — just one year after his death, among the fastest in the entire history of the Catholic Church — reflects the immediate and overwhelming popular devotion his preaching and reported miracles had generated during his own lifetime, a groundswell of veneration that drove construction of an entirely new basilica to begin in the very same year of his sainthood. The 1263 discovery of his incorrupt tongue, thirty-two years after his death and specifically witnessed by the future Doctor of the Church Saint Bonaventure, gave concrete physical form to Anthony’s particular renown as a preacher, transforming an abstract reputation for eloquence into a tangible, permanently venerated relic still central to the basilica’s devotional life today.
The basilica’s deliberate architectural fusion of Romanesque, Gothic, Byzantine, and Moorish-inspired elements — domes recalling Venice’s own Byzantine influences, bell towers echoing Islamic minarets — situates the building within the broader cosmopolitan visual vocabulary of medieval Venetian-influenced northern Italy, absorbing architectural traditions from across the Mediterranean world into a single pilgrimage church. The basilica’s continued draw of some 6.5 million annual visitors, nearly eight centuries after construction began, places it among a very small number of European religious sites whose pilgrimage significance has remained essentially undiminished since the medieval period.
What you see
The basilica’s eight lead-covered Byzantine-style domes and twin 68-metre minaret-like bell towers create one of the most immediately recognisable ecclesiastical silhouettes in northern Italy, combined with a Romanesque facade and Gothic ambulatory ringed by seven radiating chapels. Inside, the Chapel of the Ark holds Saint Anthony’s tomb amid nine marble relief panels depicting his life and miracles, while the Chapel of the Reliquaries preserves the incorrupt tongue and other relics. Donatello’s surviving bronze sculptures, created for the original high altar before its 1448 alteration, remain among the basilica’s most significant artistic treasures.
Practical information
- Opening hours: generally open daily; check current hours before visiting; free admission
- Address: Piazza del Santo 11, 35123 Padova, Italy
Getting there
The Basilica of Saint Anthony is reachable on foot within the historic centre of Padua, Veneto. GPS: 45.4015° N, 11.8808° E.
Nearby
- Prato della Valle — one of Europe’s largest squares, nearby in Padua
- Scrovegni Chapel — home to Giotto’s celebrated frescoes, within the city
- Padua historic centre — the UNESCO-listed university city surrounding the basilica
Sources
- Wikipedia — “Basilica di Sant’Antonio di Padova” (it.wikipedia.org)
- Il Santo di Padova — official site, “Basilica del Santo” (ilsantodipadova.it)
- San Francesco Patrono d’Italia — “10 curiosità sulla basilica di Sant’Antonio da Padova” (sanfrancescopatronoditalia.it)
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