basilica of San Antonio Padua, Italy

The most famous of Padua's churches is the Basilica di Sant'Antonio da Padova, locally simply known as "Il Santo." The basilica was begun about the year 1230 and completed in the following century. The building is covered by seven cupolas, two of them pyramidal. On the piazza in front of the church is Donatello's magnificent equestrian statue of the Venetian general Gattamelata which, inspired by the Marcus Aurelius equestrian sculpture at the Capitoline Hill in Rome, was cast in 1453.

The church is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Italy. Throughout the centuries it has been embellished by some of the most important artists, sculptors, and architects of Italy. The high altar, for example, consists of a series of bronze reliefs by Donatello, a Florentine master who sculpted pieces are among the world's treasures. Similarly, the bones of the saint rest in a chapel richly ornamented with carved marbles, the work of various artists, among them of Sansovino and Falconetto.

Throngs of pilgrims travel to Padua each year to see the precious relics housed at the apse, which include the saint's jaws. Three hundred years after his death, his body was exhumed and, miraculously, his tongue was found to be intact, with no decay. The presence of holy relics, generally body parts, is what distinguishes a basilica from other Catholic churches. Although the Basilica of San Antonio is the most famous church in Padua and visited by people from all over the world, it is not the titular cathedral of the city because it is not "home church" of a bishop.

Born in 1195 to a wealthy Portuguese family, St. Anthony of Padua is one of the most famous and beloved saints of the Catholic Church. He was so popular and influential that he was canonized only one year after his death in 1231. St. Anthony was an extremely talented speaker and loved to teach the word of God and the faith. He often traveled far distances to speak, attracting large crowds wherever he went. Because of his skill in teaching, Pope Pius XII named him a Doctor of the Church in 1946. He is also venerated as Saint Anthony of Lisbon, particularly in Portugal and Brazil.

Saint Anthony is considered the Patron:
- Against starvation
- Animals
- Boatmen
- Brazil, Portugal, and Italy
- Elderly people
- Expectant mothers
- Fishermen
- Harvests
- Oppressed and poor people,
- Seekers of lost articles
- Shipwrecks
- Travellers