Like Marchas Populares, the Weddings of Santo António are a traditional landmark in the city of Lisbon. This solidarity initiative arises from the desire to celebrate the union of Lisbon couples and to contribute to the affirmation of the cultural identity of the city’s neighborhoods.
The Casamentos de Santo António appeared in 1958 as an initiative of the newspaper Diário Popular, which aimed to allow the marriage of couples with greater financial difficulties. In the first year of the initiative, whose patron saint is Santo António, 26 couples tied the knot in the Church of Santo António. However, in 1974, the event was interrupted and it was only 23 years later that the Lisbon City Council recovered the initiative, which, in 2019, was integrated into the Festas de Lisboa, under the aegis of EGEAC. This year, the tradition continues and on June 12th, 16 Lisbon couples will tie the knot again in religious and civil ceremonies.
Considered a “matchmaker saint” by popular legends, Fernando de Bulhões, better known as Santo António, was a great intellectual of the Church, who, according to history, was born near the Cathedral of Lisbon between 1191 and 1195, in the bosom of a family of the gentry. The saint died on June 13, 1231 and it is on that day that, every year, the procession of Saint Anthony takes place, which leaves the Church, next to the Cathedral, and travels through the neighborhoods of Castelo Hill, in Alfama.The saint died on June 13, 1231 and it is on that day that, every year, the procession of Saint Anthony takes place, which leaves the Church, next to the Cathedral, and travels through the neighborhoods of Castelo Hill, in Alfama. The parade is joined by many faithful, who are part of the procession and watch its passage.
Following this event, other initiatives emerged as part of the Lisbon Festivities programme, such as Tronos de Santo António. This action, promoted by the Lisbon Museum, consists of a street exhibition of thrones, on the 4th and 5th of June, on the doors or windows of the participants’ homes. Enrollment in the challenge is mandatory, the only condition for which is the presence of a figure of Saint Anthony at the mentioned place, so that a visit itinerary consisting of photographs of the thrones can then be created.
Largo de Santo António da Sé, Lisboa, Portugal
Segundo reza a história, é no exato local onde nasceu Santo António que se ergue a Igreja de Santo António de Lisboa, localizada na freguesia de Santa Maria Maior. Desde o século XV que existia uma capela em dedicação ao santo, destruída pelo Terramoto de 1755, e da qual só restou a capela-mor. A reedificação da igreja, que decorreu entre 1767 e 1812, teve em Mateus Vicente de Oliveira o responsável do projecto. Em 1982, o templo foi visitado pelo Papa São João Paulo II.
