Santuario di Sant'Antonio da Padova

On the eastern side of Piazza Tre Martiri stands the church Riminesi call dei Paolotti, the sanctuary of Saint Anthony of Padua cared for by the Minims of Saint Francis of Paola. Rebuilt after the Second World War and frescoed in the 1970s by Achille Funi's workshop, it celebrates the two miracles tradition locates in this city.

Why it matters

This is the fourth religious building on the spot, and each layer belongs to Rimini's history. The Minims settled here in 1613–1614 beside the octagonal votive temple marking the mule miracle, and their first church was consecrated in 1617. The earthquake of 1672 destroyed it; a baroque church by the Riminese architect Gianfranco Garampi followed, completed in 1729. Bombs then razed that building — the third destruction — and the site was cleared in 1960. The present sanctuary, on an octagonal plan by the Milanese architect Bergonzo, was consecrated on 13 April 1963.

What to notice

Two large frescoes from 1972, painted by pupils of the Ferrarese painter Achille Funi, depict the miracles attributed to Saint Anthony at Rimini: fish gathering to hear his preaching and a mule kneeling before the consecrated host. Giuseppe Viola's 1970 canvas depicts Saint Francis of Paola crossing the Strait of Messina on his cloak; a bronze altar frontal by Elio Morri also represents the mule story.

Context and history

The community's continuity is itself remarkable: the order was suppressed under French rule in 1797, returned in 1821, suppressed again in 1876 and re-established in 1900. After the war the friars rebuilt on the old foundations, keeping the sanctuary's history connected with the Tempietto across the square, in the ancient forum piazza renamed for partisans executed there in 1944. A small community of Minims still serves the church under their motto of charity.