Saint Anthony died on the 13th of June 1231 and the citizens of Padua who really loved him immediately started to build a beautiful Shrine to honour his remains, but they also wanted him to be SANTO SUBITO, Saint immediately.
Less then a month after his death, the Bishop of Padua, the governor of the city, the nobility and the commoners sent a delegation to Rome, to Pope Gregory IX, asking him to start the canonization process.
The Pope was more than happy, but some members of the Curia accused the Paduans of being too hasty. The Pope then entrusted the examination of the miracles (which people believed had occurred through the intercession of St. Anthony) to the Bishop of Padua.
A month later all the evidence had been collected and was sent to the Pope and the Roman Curia. And Anthony was finally canonized in the Cathedral of Spoleto on Pentecost Sunday (May 30th) 1232; 11 months after his death, in the shortest time in the history of the Church.
From the 31 of May, we will start a series of short meditations on some of St Anthony’s most famous miracles in order to prepare ourselves for the feast of Our Saint.
So please, follow me every day for the 13 days from the 31 of May to the 12 of June. Besides learning something more on our beloved saint, you will also have the chance of discovering a number of artistic treasures in our Basilica. And don’t forget to join us on the 13th of June, Feast of St. Anthony, for the Solemn Masses celebrated at the High Altar of the Basilica. The Masses will be livestreamed from our website at 10am & 5pm Italian time.