conography 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.
Youth is connected to the ideal image of him as, pure, good, receptive to everyone.
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.
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.
The Lily represents his purity and his battle against the demon since childhood.
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.
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.
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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