Church of Saint Anthony

Take a look at this little church, almost touching the cathedral. For Lisboetas it is far more than a place of worship: according to tradition, this is where their favourite saint was born.

1Fernando, before Anthony

The saint the world knows as Anthony of Padua was born in Lisbon in the late twelfth century, probably around 1195, as Fernando de Bulhões. He joined the Canons Regular, then the young Franciscan order, and became a famous preacher in Italy. He died near Padua in 1231 and was canonised in 1232, less than a year later.

Tradition places his birthplace right here. The present church was rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake, from 1767, to a design by Mateus Vicente de Oliveira. Only the crypt survives from the earlier building. On 12 May 1982, Pope John Paul II visited it.

2Miracles and weddings

Many legends are attached to Saint Anthony: the sermon to the fish, which are said to have poked their heads out of the water to listen, or the cross he supposedly traced in stone as a boy to drive away the devil. In Lisbon he is above all the matchmaking saint, and the one who helps you find what you've lost.

Every June, on the eve of the 13th, his feast day, the city celebrates the ‘Saint Anthony weddings’ and fills with grilled sardines and little pots of basil.

3What to look out for

• The statue of the saint with the Christ Child, in front of the church.
• The baroque façade, with its curved pediment, built after the earthquake.
• The crypt, if you go in: all that remains of the earlier church.