This is our wonderful Saint Anthony of Padua Plaque. St. Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) was a Portuguese Catholic priest and Franciscan friar. Born in Lisbon, Portugal, he later died in Padua, Italy. He is perhaps best known as the saint to invoke when something or someone has gone missing (go to History/Story tab). This solid bronze plaque is the perfect gift for a birthday, feast day, first communion, confirmation, and St. Anthony’s feast day on June 13th.
A Solid Bronze Wall Plaque in Three Sizes
Available in three sizes – small (p73k – 2.25 x 1.9 inches), medium (p61m – 4 x 3.5 inches), or large (p98g – 7.9 x 6.3 inches) – this solid bronze plaque will hang with ease on any wall at home or office. This plaque was conceived and cast in Germany by a world-renowned master goldsmith. This plaque is an especially appropriate gift for that special “Anthony,” “Antonio,” “Antonia,” “Anton,” or “Tony” in your life!
A Doctor of the Church Who Preached to Fish
St. Anthony is depicted on this plaque preaching to the fish. As the number of Franciscan saints multiplied, iconographers struggled to distinguish Saint Anthony from the many other Franciscan saints. Because he was such a forceful preacher with such a profound knowledge of scripture and because, according to legend, he had once preached to the fish, this was sometimes used as his attribute. Many early depictions of St. Anthony show him meditating on an open book in which the Christ Child himself appears. Gradually over time the Christ Child increased and the book decreased until some depictions (including this plaque) did away with the book entirely. St. Anthony of Padua – the patron saint of “lost things” – was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1946.
