The National Shrine of Saint Anthony of Padua in Washington DC is situated within one of the most remarkable Catholic complexes in the United States: the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America, a sprawling property in the Brookland neighbourhood that contains painstaking replicas of the great shrines of the Holy Land within its grounds and catacombs. Here, Franciscan friars serve both the specific devotion to Saint Anthony and the broader mission of supporting the Custody of the Holy Land — the Franciscan mission that has maintained a Catholic presence in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth continuously since the thirteenth century. Saint Anthony of Padua, born in Lisbon in 1195 and dying in Padua in 1231, is one of the most universally beloved saints in the Catholic Church. Canonised within one year of his death — the fastest canonisation in Church history — he was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XII in 1946 with the title Doctor Evangelicus. He is invoked throughout the Catholic world as the finder of lost things, the patron of the poor, and an intercessor of matchless power. The Franciscan tradition that shaped him gives particular resonance to his veneration within this monastery complex. The shrine draws pilgrims from across the United States and from the large Italian-American communities of the mid-Atlantic region. The monastery gardens, with their Stations of the Cross and replica grottos, are among the most extraordinary outdoor sacred spaces in America, and the underground catacombs — modelled on those of Rome — add an extraordinary dimension to any pilgrimage visit.
Set within the extraordinary Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land, containing replicas of sacred sites from Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth
Enshrines a relic of Saint Anthony of Padua, Doctor of the Church, canonised within a year of his death in the fastest canonisation in Church history
The underground catacombs, modelled on those of Rome, are among the most atmospheric sacred spaces in the United States
The Tuesday novena to Saint Anthony draws hundreds of faithful each week throughout the year
Located in Washington's Brookland neighbourhood, walking distance from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Saint Anthony of Padua
Fernando Martins de Bulhões was born in Lisbon around 1195 into a noble family. Educated by Augustinian canons in Coimbra, he was profoundly moved by the martyrdom of five Franciscan friars in 1220. Inspired by their example, he joined the Franciscans, took the name Anthony, and sailed for Africa — only to be overtaken by illness and blown by storms to Sicily, from where he made his way to the Chapter General in Assisi, catching the attention of Saint Francis himself.
Anthony's extraordinary gifts as a preacher and theologian quickly became apparent. He was sent to preach against the Cathar heresy in southern France and northern Italy, moving crowds with a combination of learning, charity and evident holiness. Saint Francis appointed him the Order's first lecturer in theology. Anthony died in Padua on 13 June 1231 at the age of thirty-five and was canonised the following year by Pope Gregory IX. His feast day, 13 June, is celebrated around the world, particularly in the Portuguese-speaking world and in communities of Italian heritage.
The Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land
The monastery complex in Brookland was founded in 1899 by Father Godfrey Schilling, OFM, as a base for American Franciscan support of the Holy Land mission. The church, completed in 1924 and designed by Aristides Leonori in a Byzantine-Romanesque style, is the centrepiece of a property that includes extensive gardens, an outdoor Way of the Cross, and replicas of some of the most venerated sites in the Holy Land: the Grotto of Bethlehem, the Chapel of the Ascension, the Grotto of Gethsemane, the Tomb of the Virgin and the replica of the Tomb of Christ.
Beneath the church, the catacombs are modelled on those of Priscilla and San Sebastian in Rome, with niches for martyrs' remains and the atmospheric quality of genuine early Christian burial spaces. The whole complex, set in beautifully maintained gardens, is unlike anything else in Washington.
The Shrine to Saint Anthony
Within the monastery church, the National Shrine of Saint Anthony is a focal point of devotion, enshrining a relic of the saint and providing a dedicated space for the novenas and devotional prayers for which Anthony is famous. The Tuesday novena to Saint Anthony is among the most popular devotions in American Catholicism, and the shrine at the monastery is one of the principal locations in the country where this devotion is observed with particular solemnity.
Visiting
The monastery complex is open to visitors throughout the year, with guided tours available of the church, catacombs and gardens. The feast of Saint Anthony on 13 June is celebrated with special Masses and devotions. The monastery is located in the Brookland neighbourhood of northeast Washington, a short walk from the Brookland–CUA Metro station on the Red Line, and is close to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.