Anthony of Padua

Anthony of Padua | Barnard 1

Description

Saint Anthony of Padua (August 15th, 1195 - June 13, 1231) was a Portuguese Catholic friar of the Franciscan Order, regarded for his powerful public preaching, knowledge of scripture, and zealous care for the less fortunate. Born Fernando Martins de Bulhões to a prominent family in Lisbon, Saint Anthony entered into the Augustinian Order at the age of 15. After being transferred to a congregation to Coimbra, Portugal, Saint Anthony noticed the arrival of a nearby Franciscan community, whose order had been founded just 11 years ago, and was quickly drawn to the simple life of the friars, being granted permission to transfer to the Franciscan Order. Throughout his life, Anthony was highly respected for his orations, fight against heretics (for which he was granted the title Malleus hereticorum, Hammer of the Heretics), and tremendous zeal. Saint Anthony died at Padua at the age of 35 following a bout of ergotism, and was canonized less than a year later by Pope Gregory IX, having many miracles attributed to him. He was made a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XII in 1946.

Artistic depictions of Saint Anthony of Padua are common within Franciscan spaces and manuscripts. In order to differentiate Saint Anthony from other Franciscan saints, he is typically presented holding any number of the following three attributes - a white lily stalk, the Christ child, and a book, often a psalter, though there is little thematic variation within these portrayals. The first of these, a white lily, simply symbolizes the Saint's purity. The Christ Child, also a symbol of purity, honors a mystical experience of Saint Anthony, depicted in his Life, wherein a benefactor that had allowed the saint to stay in an extra room observed rays of light eminating through the cracks of the door. Upon approaching, Saint Anthony was seen kneeling in prayer, caressing the loving Christ Child, who has embracing the saint.

The portrayal of Saint Anthony with a psalter, as in Barnard 1, draws upon a similarly miraculous legend. Saint Anthony was said to have a psalter that had been either stolen or taken mistakenly by a novice who had left the order. Upon his realization, Saint Anthony prayed for its finding or return, after which the novice not only returned the psalter but also rejoined the order. For this, Saint Anthony is venerated as the patron saint of lost things.

Saint Anthony's illumination in Barnard 1 with his psalter shows signs of damage and smearing in a single direction which, like the illuminations of Saint Francis, indicate a level of devotional touching.