O, Sant'Antonio! I have loved you more than any other saint. And I am not the only one. His popularity has spread throughout Italy, Europe, and beyond. Here are a few of my favorite Southern Italian devotions and spells calling upon this beloved saint.
Neapolitan spells calling on Saint Anthony
According to Il libro dei rimedi magici: Riti, scongiuri, formule by Guido Guidi Guerrera, Saint Anthony was said to bestow thirteen favors which were of particular interest to Italian peasants:
- To have a good harvest of wheat
- To gain copious weight
- To possess many strengths
- To enjoy long life
- To make the best wine
- To be spared from violent death
- To escape the temptation of the devil
- Not to sin
- Not to be taken in by the snares of womanly passions
- Not to suffer the betrayal of a man
- To be spared from cholera
- To have abundant pastures for grazing
- So that animals do not get sick
The following prayer must be recited over the course of three consecutive nights. It should be preceded and followed by three Glorias. For best results, recite it for the first time on the morning of June 11, and for the third time on the morning of June 13:
Sant’Antonio da Padova venisti, carità trovasti e carità facisti, ‘sta grazia fammi per amore di Gesú Cristo…
Or in English:
Saint Anthony, you came from Padova, you found charity and you did charity; do me this favor for the love of Jesus Christ...
Then you pick one of the thirteen favors listed above to request.
Or, if the wheat harvest doesn't interest you, you can use this conjuration dedicated to three saints traditionally given as protectors of women to find a rich husband:
Sant’Antonino, mettetelo in cammino,
San Pasquale fa’ ciò verificare,
Sant’Onofrio glorioso,
Bello, piccolo e grazioso.
It is said as a novena, each day after saying three Pater Nosters and three Glorias. After completing the novena on the ninth night, you must go to your balcony at midnight and look out into the street. The first person who passes by is the man you will marry. (If a woman or a priest passes by, this is said to be a bad omen, and it is necessary to continue praying more on the matter.)
A Sicilian Rosary to Saint Anthony
Rosaries and other prayers are often made to Sant'Antonio every day during his Tredicina, June 1 until his feast on Jun 13. You can say these prayers on a standard set of rosary beads, praying the posta on each of the large beads (where you would normally pray the Pater Noster) and the grani on the small beads (where you would normally pray the Ave Maria).
Here's an extraordinarily trippy rosary which was documented by Sara Favarò in Palazzo Adriano in the 80s.
Posta:
Sant'Antunineddu cadiu malateddu
in pettu purtava du' pumidda d'oru
bagna la manu e vidi chi c'era
c'era lu risu cu tuttu lu Paradisu.
(Saint Anthony was sick
on his chest he was wearing two gold knobs
he wet his hand and saw what it was
it was the smile with all of Paradise.)
Grani:
E decimilia voti
e ludamu a sant'Antuninu.
E ludamulu tutti l'uri
ca è lu nostru protetturi.
(And ten thousand times
We praise Saint Anthony
And we praise him all hours
Because he is our protector.)
Songs to Saint Anthony
This is my favorite mix of songs to Sant'Antonio, perhaps because I am a sucker for the vintage sounds on some of them:
If you would like to sing along (and I hope you do!), here are the lyrics to my favorite Italian hymn to Saint Anthony:
O Dei Miracoli
O dei miracoli inclito Santo;
dell’alma Padova, Tutela e vanto:
benigno guardami prono ai tuoi piè:
o Sant’Antonio prega per me!
Col vecchio e il giovane a te sen viene
e in atto supplice chiede ed ottiene;
di grazie arbitro Iddio ti fé:
o Sant’Antonio prega per me!
Per te l’oceano si rasserena;
riprende i naufrago novella lena;
morte e pericoli fuggon da te:
o Sant’Antonio prega per me!
Per te d’angustia esce l’afflitto:
trova ricovero il derelitto,
col pane al povero doni la fé:
o Sant’Antonio prega per me!