Saint Anthony was not the first Portuguese saint, an honour that belongs more to Saint Theotonio, who deserves another chapter of History just for him… But Fernando de Bulhões, his baptismal name, born around 1191 in a house in front of Lisbon’s Cathedral, was definitely consecrated as “the” saint of Portugal, country where the memory of his childhood and youth and an unusual oral tradition that lasts until today in several parts of the territory, have been preserved. Until the end of the year, at Palácio Pimenta, in Lisbon, the exhibition VITA PRIMA, on the life and miracles of Saint Anthony in Portugal, wonderfully told and enriched during the days of the “Visits by the Commissioners”, is open. After today’s one (1st July) with the Historian Paulo Almeida Fernandes, the next ones are not to be missed: – 19 AUG 2023 – 30 SEP 2023 – 08 OCTOBER 2023 – 19 NOV 2023 – 08 DEC 2023 To stimulate interest, the catalogue mentions that the cult of Santo António mixes sacred and profane, erudite and popular, even Christian and pagan dimensions, and the 13th June, the day of his death, is synonymous with an open air party, grilled sardines and popular marches, where the city’s identity quarters are the most important.
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