Antony, St.

, of Padua, or of Portugal, of the religious order of St. Francis, and the Thaumaturgus of his age, was the son of Martin Bulhan or Bouillan, and of Mary of Trevera, and born at Lisbon in the year 1195. He first joined the community of the canons of the cathedral of Lisbon, and then associated with the regular canons of St. Vincent in the suburbs of that city, where he lived a retired and austere life, and afterwards became one of the order of St. Francis. He left off his baptismal name of Ferdinand, and adopted that of Antony. Conceiving the design of going to Africa, he embarked for that continent; but his vessel being blown back to Messina, he found himself obliged to remain in Italy, where he studied theology, and preached with much reputation. He afterwards visited Montpellier, Thoulouse, and Padua, and made many converts by the earnestness of his preaching; and his discourses, we are told, were confirmed by miracles. Pope Gregory IX had so high an opinion of him that he named him “The Ark of the New Testament, and the secret Depository of sacred learning.” His long Stay at Padua procured him the surname by which he is distinguished. In this place he died, June 13, 1231, in the thirty-sixth year of his age, and was canonized in the following year by pope Gregory above mentioned. His body was placed in the superb church which bears his name. There are several sermons of this saint extant, and some other works. Father Jean of the Hague, a 4 religious of the same order, and professor of theology, printed a new edition of his works in 1641, to which he added those ascribed to St. Francis, and a life of Antony. These works | are entitled, “Sermones dominicales adventus, quadragesimæ, ac reliqui omnes de tempore. Sermones de Sanctis. Interpretatio vel expositio mystica in sacram Scripturam. Concordantiæ morales sacrorum bibliorum.” This last is divided into five books. ¹