Shrine of Saint Anthony of Padua at St. John the Evangelist Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States.

The shrine was erected during the 1946-1948 reconstruction of the cathedral. Artists working for Rambusch Decorating Company of New York City designed the shrine; designed and manufactured the sculpture of the saint and angels; and designed and installed the mosaics.

To the right is an image of Christ the Divine Mercy. The stained glass window to the right represents Jesus preaching in the Temple as a child. The window was made in 1902 by Franz Mayer and Company in their Munich, Germany, studios.

Fernando Martins de Bulhões (15 August 1195 – 13 June 1231) was born into a wealthy family in Lisbon, Portugal. He was educated at the local cathedral school and at the age of 15 entered the Augustinian Abbey of Saint Vincent. Convinced the priesthood was his vocation, he transferred to the motherhouse in Coimbra two years later. He was probably ordained a priest some time between 1212 and 1219.

In 1220, four Franciscan friars established a hermitage near Coimbra. Fernando was attracted by their simple and evangelical lifestyle. He received permission to leave the Augustinians and join the Franciscans, changing his name to Anthony in honor of St. Anthony the Great (father of Christian monasticism).

He set out for Morocco, but fell seriously ill. On his return home, his ship was blown off course and landed in Sicily. He made his way overland to Tuscany, but the monks were so terrified by his sickly appearance that he took up residence in a hermit's nearby cave. For the next 18 months or so, he engaged in deep study of the Bible and recovered his health.

By chance, Anthony was asked in 1222 to deliver the Sunday homily. His deep, rich voice; arresting manner of public speaking; and knowledge of scripture greatly impressed the crowd. The local Franciscans sent him to the regional headquarters in Bologna, where he came to the attention of the founder of the order, Francis of Assisi. Francis distrusted theological studies, fearing monks would fall in love with the easy life of academia rather than remain committed to poverty. But Anthony's commitment to evangelism overcame his unease, and in 1224 Francis placed Anthony in charge of the education of Franciscans who wanted to become priests.

Although Anthony occasionally taught at the universities in Montpellier and Toulouse, he remained committed to public evangelism and spoke throughout southern France. In 1226, he was appointed provincial superior of northern Italy and chose the city of Padua as his headquarters. The Franciscans named him envoy to the court of Pope Gregory IX two years later. His preaching was so powerful that the pope commissioned him to produce a collection of sermons.

Anthony ate wheat infected with the fungus ergot in 1231. He suffered from convulsions and gangrene-like symptoms. After the primary symptoms passed, he went to the Franciscan woodland retreat at Camposampiero to recover his health. Feeling well enough to resume his duties, he decided to return to Padua. He died on the road on June 13, 1231.

Construction of a large basilica began around his burial place 1232. Anthony was canonized by Pope Gregory IX in May 1232, less than one year after his death. (At that time, there were no rules for veneration, beatification, or canonization.) Pope Pius XII proclaimed him a Doctor of the Church in 1946, one of only 33 such individuals to receive the title as of 2019.

In art, St. Anthony was often depicted holding an open book, with the Christ Child pointing to the text. Over time, the book disappeared and St. Anthony today is generally depicted holding the Christ Child. He is also usually seen holding a white lily, the sign of his purity.