On Thursday we went back to the Basilica of Saint Anthony, or La Chiesa del Santo (The Church of the Saint) as it’s known locally. We had visited on our first day in town, but wanted to check it out again. There’s so much to see and photographs are prohibited. Cinzia, always one to obey the rules, stepped out of her comfort zone and managed to sneak a few shots on her smartphone.
First, a little about St. Anthony and the basilica. St. Francis of Assisi founded the order. The following is from the pamphlet available as you enter the Chapel of Relics: “Saint Anthony of Padua was buried in the little chapel of Santa Maria Mater Domini in 1231. On 8 April 1263, in the presence of Saint Bonaventure, Minister General of the Order, the body was moved to the newly-built Basilica. When the coffin was opened, the tongue was found incorrupt and then removed. In January 1981, to mark the 750th anniversary of the Saint’s death, the tomb was opened a second time.” Ok, wait. What? They removed his incorrupt tongue? What does that mean? Yes, his tongue was found to be wet, as it had been in life. They suspect that this is because Saint Anthony was a celebrated for his oratory skills. But they didn’t stop at the tongue. They also removed his lower jaw and vocal chords. All 3 of these relics are on display, along with many, many others, in the Chapel of the Relics.
The Chapel of the Relics is located in the rear of the basilica. Along with the original wooden coffin and several garments belonging to Saint Anthony, there are 3 niches, lavishly decorated, that hold various relics. The pamphlet lists 24 of them, but there are dozens more. Here are 8 from the pamphlet:
#7 Reliquary of Saint John Paul II
#9 Incorrupt tongue of Saint Anthony
#10 Saint Anthony’ jawbone
#11 Saint Anthony’s vocal apparatus
#12 Skin from Saint Anthony’s head
#13 Monstrance with three thorns from Christ’s crown
#18 Statue with Saint Anthony’s finger
#21 Fragment from the wood of the Holy Cross
That’s a pretty impressive list of 8, right? Because of this, and all the gold objects holding the relics, the chapel is heavily guarded, making picture taking very risky. Luckily, we have the Internet, so I’ve included a few.
The Chapel of the Relics is located in the rear of the basilica. Along with the original wooden coffin and several garments belonging to Saint Anthony, there are 3 niches, lavishly decorated, that hold various relics. The pamphlet lists 24 of them, but there are dozens more. Here are 8 from the pamphlet:
#7 Reliquary of Saint John Paul II
#9 Incorrupt tongue of Saint Anthony
#10 Saint Anthony’ jawbone
#11 Saint Anthony’s vocal apparatus
#12 Skin from Saint Anthony’s head
#13 Monstrance with three thorns from Christ’s crown
#18 Statue with Saint Anthony’s finger
#21 Fragment from the wood of the Holy Cross
That’s a pretty impressive list of 8, right? Because of this, and all the gold objects holding the relics, the chapel is heavily guarded, making picture taking very risky. Luckily, we have the Internet, so I’ve included a few.
You’d think that the Chapel of Relics was the main draw in the basilica, but you’d be wrong. They have the Tomb of the Saint. This monstrous display, full of marble and ornate sculpture and reliefs, holds the tomb on an altar. Crowns are directed in from the left, routed around the rear, and exit on the right. The faithful will line up to place their hands on the back of the tomb and play. If you take the time to avert your eyes from the tomb and look at the chapel itself, it’s full of beautiful marble reliefs along the rear wall. Quite impressive!
Other not-to-miss features of the basilica are the sets of ornate gates that circle the chapels along the rear. There are 4 matching sets, all very ornate and in need or restoration. Luckily, one has already been restored to its original gilded wonderfulness. Cinzia was able to take photos of the “before and after”. There are dozens of tombs adorning the walls of the basilica, but one has a winged skeleton atop it. Lastly, one of the chapels is decorated with a colorful, golden mosaic interior. Small details are easily overlooked – the small marble walls and gates of the chapels that are fashioned to look like rope and feature naval motifs. The main altar is unimpressive as is the blue ceiling with stars, but you become quite cynical of things like this after a few weeks in Italy touring churches.
We can’t have a blog without mention of food. For dinner that evening we returned to Pizzeria Pago Pago. We started with their crostone al lardo di colonnata – two grilled pieces of bread topped with thin strips of cured lard. In addition to traditional pizza, they offer one style they call Caramelle. Our waiter explained that the pizza was fashioned like a wrapped candy, or caramella, and slit on the top before baking. Cinzia ordered the Positano version of this pizza which came with mozzarella, melanzane fritte, provola e porcini. Perfect for her, and so cute too!
Other not-to-miss features of the basilica are the sets of ornate gates that circle the chapels along the rear. There are 4 matching sets, all very ornate and in need or restoration. Luckily, one has already been restored to its original gilded wonderfulness. Cinzia was able to take photos of the “before and after”. There are dozens of tombs adorning the walls of the basilica, but one has a winged skeleton atop it. Lastly, one of the chapels is decorated with a colorful, golden mosaic interior. Small details are easily overlooked – the small marble walls and gates of the chapels that are fashioned to look like rope and feature naval motifs. The main altar is unimpressive as is the blue ceiling with stars, but you become quite cynical of things like this after a few weeks in Italy touring churches.
We can’t have a blog without mention of food. For dinner that evening we returned to Pizzeria Pago Pago. We started with their crostone al lardo di colonnata – two grilled pieces of bread topped with thin strips of cured lard. In addition to traditional pizza, they offer one style they call Caramelle. Our waiter explained that the pizza was fashioned like a wrapped candy, or caramella, and slit on the top before baking. Cinzia ordered the Positano version of this pizza which came with mozzarella, melanzane fritte, provola e porcini. Perfect for her, and so cute too!