CatholicSaints.Info » Blog Archive » Saint Anthony the Abbot (original) (raw)
Also known as
- Abba Antonius
- Anthony of Egypt
- Anthony of the Desert
- Anthony the Anchorite
- Anthony the Great
- Anthony the Hermit
- Antonio Abate
- Father of Cenobites
- Father of All Monks
- Father of Western Monasticism
- 17 January (Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox)
- 30 January (Coptic Orthodox, Coptic Catholic)
Profile
Following the death of his parents when he was about 20, Anthony insured that his sister completed her education, then he sold his house, furniture, and the land he owned, gave the proceeds to the poor, joined the anchorites who lived nearby, and moved into an empty sepulchre. At age 35 he moved to the desert to live alone; he lived 20 years in an abandoned fort.
Anthony barricaded the place for solitude, but admirers and would-be students broke in. He miraculously healed people, and agreed to be the spiritual counselor of others. His recommendation was to base life on the Gospel. Word spread, and so many disciples arrived that Anthony founded two monasteries on the Nile, one at Pispir, one at Arsinoe. Many of those who lived near him supported themselves by making baskets and brushes, and from that came his patronage of those trades.
Anthony briefly left his seclusion in 311, going to Alexandria, Egypt to fight Arianism, and to comfort the victims of the persecutions of Maximinus. At some point in his life, he met with his sister again. She, too, had withdrawn from the world, and directed a community of nuns. Anthony retired to the desert, living in a cave on Mount Colzim.
Descriptions paint him as uniformly modest and courteous. His example led many to take up the monastic life, and to follow his way. Late in life Anthony became a close friend of Saint Paul the Hermit, and he buried the aged , leading to his patronage of gravediggers. His biography was written by his friend Saint Athanasius of Alexandria.
His relationship with pigs and patronage of swineherds is a little complicated. Skin diseases were sometimes treated with applications of pork fat, which reduced inflammation and itching. As Anthony’s intervention aided in the same conditions, he was shown in art accompanied by a pig. People who saw the art work, but did not have it explained, thought there was a direct connection between Anthony and pigs – and people who worked with swine took him as their patron.
Born
- against eczema
- against epilepsy
- against epizootic disease
- against ergotism
- against erysipelas
- against fire
- against pestilence
- against Saint Anthony’s Fire
- against skin diseases
- against skin rashes
- amputees
- anchorites
- animals
- basket makers, basket weavers
- bell ringers
- brushmakers
- butchers
- cemetery workers
- domestic animals
- epileptics
- farmers
- glove makers
- gravediggers
- graveyards
- hermits
- hogs, pigs, swine
- livestock
- monks
- pharmacists
- pig traders
- relief from pestilence
- swineherds
- Hospitallers
- –
- in Brazil
- in Germany
- in Italy
- Alano di Piave
- Ampurias, city of
- Ampurias, of
- Borgo Tressanti
- Burgio, Sicily
- Calasca-Castiglione
- Castelsardo
- Castrofilippo, Agrigento
- Ceretolo
- Chiaravalle, Ancona
- Colli Verdi
- Decimomannu
- Desulo
- Fivizzano
- Fontainemore
- Mamoiada
- Mione, Ovaro
- Pometo
- Ruino
- Sant’Angelo Lodigiano
- Sasso, Cerveteri
- Sorrento-Castellammare di Stabia, of
- Tempio-Ampurias, of
- Valmadrera
- Valtournenche
- in the Netherlands
- in Spain
- (exorcises evil spirits)
- baskets
- (exorcises evil spirits)
- T on his
- (devotion to scripture and study)
- with a hanging from it
- fire under his
- (represents Saint Anthony’s Fire)
- flames (represents Saint Anthony’s Fire)
- old man
- hermit
- tau with a bell on the end
- young man distributing his wealth
- carried by demons (his defeat of worldly things and temptation)
- making baskets (the traditional source of income for early monks)
- man with a at his side
- Saint Anthony’s cross (T or tau-shaped)
- very old monk (indicates that he was a monk from the beginning)
- with Saint Paul the Hermit
- with a nearby (the temptations of the world)
- with two lions, who dig Paul‘s grave
Additional Information
- A Garner of Saints by Allen Banks Hinds, M.A.
- An Old English Martyrology, by George Herzfeld
- Book of Saints, by Father Lawrence George Lovasik, S.V.D.
- Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
- Catholic Encyclopedia
- Character Calendar, by Sister Mary Fidelis and Sister Mary Charitas, S.S.N.D
- Encyclopedia Britannica
- First of the Hermits, by Mrs Lang
- Golden Legend
- Lives of the Saints, by Father Alban Butler
- New Catholic Dictionary
- Pictorial Lives of the Saints
- Roman Martyrology, 1914 edition
- Roman Missal
- Saints and Saintly Dominicans, by Blessed Hyacinthe-Marie Cormier, O.P.
- Saints and Their Symbols, by E A Greene
- Saints in Art, by Margaret E Tabor
- Saints of Italy, by Ella Noyes
- Saints of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
- Short Lives of the Saints, by Eleanor Cecilia Donnelly
- The Child’s Name, by Julian McCormick
- Upon God’s Holy Hills, by Father Cyril Charles Martindale
- The Life of Antony, by Saint Athanasius of Alexandria
- read online
- download in EPub format
- audiobook version by Librivox
- books
- 1001 Patron Saints and Their Feast Days, by Australian Catholic Truth Society
- Favourite Patron Saints, by Paul Burns
- Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
- Oxford Dictionary of Saints, by David Hugh Farmer
- Saints and Their Attributes, by Helen Roeder
- other sites in english
- Catholic Cuisine
- Catholic Ireland
- Catholic Ireland
- Catholic Lane
- Catholic Link
- Catholic News Agency
- Catholic Online
- Catholic Culture
- Celtic Saints
- Christian Iconography
- ChurchPop
- Communio
- Comuni Italiani
- Cradio
- Franciscan Media
- Independent Catholic News
- John Dillon
- Mail Online: Horses ride through bonfires to celebrate patron saint of animals in traditional Spanish festival
- Marian Calendar
- New Liturgical Movement
- Olga’s Gallery
- Passionist Nuns
- Patron Saints and Their Feast Days, by the Australian Catholic Truth Society
- R C Spirituality
- Regina Magazine
- Saint Charles Borromeo Church, Picayune, Mississippi
- Saint Peter’s Basilica Info
- Saints in Rome
- Saints Resources
- Saints Stories for All Ages
- uCatholic
- Vatican News
- Wikipedia
- images
- audio
- Discerning Heart
- The Temptation of Saint Anthony, by Gustave Flaubert (Librivox audiobook)
- video
- YouTube Playlist
- The Life of Saint Anthony, by Saint Athanasius of Alexandria (audio book)
- The Temptation of Saint Anthony (audio book)
- sitios en español
- Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
- sites en français
- fonti in italiano
- Cathopedia: Sant’Antonio abate
- Cathopedia: Festa di Sant’Antonio Abate (Mamoiada)
- Santi e Beati
- nettsteder i norsk
- spletne strani v slovenšcini
Readings
When Anthony was about eighteen or twenty years old, his parents died. Not six months after his parents’ death, as he was on his way to church for his usual visit, he began to think of how the apostles had left everything and followed the Savior, and also of those mentioned in the book of Acts who had sold their possessions and brought the apostles money for distribution to the needy. This was all in his mind when, entering the church just as the Gospel was being read, he head the Lord’s words to the rich man: “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor – you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me.” It seemed to Anthony that it was God who had brought the saints to his mind, and that the words of the Gospel had been spoken directly to him. Immediately he left the church, and gave away to the villagers all the property he inherited, about 200 acres of very beautiful and fertile land. He sold all his other possessions, as well, giving to the poor the considerable sum of money he collected. However, to care for his sister he retained a few things. He gave himself up to the ascetic life, not far from his own home. He did manual work because he had heard the words: “If anyone will not work, do not let him eat.” He spent some of his earnings on bread and the rest he gave to the poor. Seeing the kind of life he lived, the villagers and all the good men he knew called him the friend of God, and they loved him as a son and brother. – from the Life of Saint Anthony by Saint Athanasius
Saint Anthony told his monks: When, therefore, they demons come by night to you and wish to tell the future, or say ‘We are the angels,’ give no heed, for they lie…. But if they shamelessly stand their ground, capering and change their forms of appearance, fear them not, nor shrink, nor heed them as though they were good spirits. For the presence either of the good or evil by the help of God can easily be distinguished. The vision of the holy ones is not fraught with distraction: ‘For they will not strive, nor cry, nor shall anyone hear their voice’ (Matthew 12:19; Isaiah 42:2). But it comes quietly and gently that an immediate joy, gladness, and courage arise in the soul. For the Lord who is our joy is with them, and the power of God the Father. – Ambrose: Life of Saint Anthony
The days are coming when men will go mad; and, when they meet a man who has kept his senses, they will rise up against him, saying, “You are mad, because you are not like us.” – Saint Anthony
MLA Citation
- “Saint Anthony the Abbot“. CatholicSaints.Info. 15 May 2024. Web. 22 January 2025. <>