Padua

In Padua, "il Santo", the Saint, means one man: [[saint:saint-anthony-of-padua|Anthony]], the Portuguese Franciscan born in [[city:lisbon|Lisbon]] who preached his last Lent here in 1231. He died on 13 June 1231 at the Arcella, a small friary church outside the walls, and was buried four days later in the little church of Santa Maria Mater Domini, which the great basilica was later built around. His tomb is in the Basilica of Saint Anthony, free to enter, and in 1263 his tongue was found incorrupt. It is shown in the basilica's Chapel of the Relics. Padua was a city of saints long before him. The Benedictine abbey of Santa Giustina stands over the grave of the virgin martyr Justina and keeps the urn of Saint Luke, and the first bishop, Prosdocimus, has his chapel inside it. The cathedral holds the bodies of the deacon Daniel and the bishop Saint Gregory Barbarigo, with the Baptistery frescoes of Giusto de' Menabuoi beside it. The Carmine keeps the Madonna dei Lumini. Giotto's Scrovegni Chapel is not a pilgrim shrine but nearly everyone asks about it, and it is the one visit here that must be booked ahead. [[city:venice|Venice]] is about half an hour away by fast regional train. Mass is in Italian. The only Catholic Mass in English we found is on Sunday at 11:30 at San Pio X, for the English speaking African community, and the diocese's migrants office can confirm it. Two nights is the least a first pilgrimage needs, and three is better. One night is enough for the tomb inside a longer Italy trip.

Fly over Padua in 3DA tour of the city of il SantoStart the tour