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Anthonian
symbols |
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Iconography
of St Anthony includes a series of symbols: youth,
the habit, a book, the baby Jesus, the lily, a flame,
a heart, bread. These express either a characteristic
of his personality (memory functions), or the gifts
and qualities which popular devotion have attributed
to him (symbolic function).
The most widely diffused image is of Anthony as a young
religious, with the Christ child in his arms and
a lily in his hand. |
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Youth is connected to the ideal image of him as,
pure, good, receptive to everyone. |
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The
Franciscan habit (brown or black) is reminiscent
of the Franciscan Order, but with some particular characteristics.
Some people think - wrongly - that he created his own
order and they have problems connecting him to St. Francis.
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The
baby Jesus is reminiscent of the vision that
Anthony had in Camposampiero.
It
also expresses his attachment to the humanity of Christ
and his closeness to God.
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The
Lily represents his purity and his battle against
the demon since childhood. |
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The
flame indicates his love for God and his neighbour.
Many
votive offerings are heart-shaped, and the reliquary
for the voice box (larynx), found intact at the last
recognition, has been made in the shape of a flame. |
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Bread
is reminiscent of his charity to the poor. This image
is connected with the charity "St. Anthony's bread
for the poor", which is still operating.
This
is also connected with Saint Anthony's
Charities, which spreads the solidarity of St.
Anthony all over the world.
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In
the end, the oldest image and that which is nearest
to reality is represented by the book, a symbol
of his science, of his doctrine, of his preaching and
of his teaching, always inspired by the book par excellence:
the Bible.
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