Santo Antônio de Jesus (sculpture)

Statue of St. Anthony of Padua in the Church of São Francisco in Salvador (Bahia)

Santo Antônio de Jesus is the popular name of a statue of St. Anthony of Padua in the famous baroque church Igreja de São Francisco in Salvador (Bahia) , Brazil . The figure differs from the usual iconography of the Franciscan with the baby Jesus in that Antonius is depicted as a black man. The solemn blessing of the Franciscan Saint has been held on June 13th since the 18th century.

The veneration of the statue has become independent among the Capoeira , to whom Santo Antônio de Jesus is the patron saint. The celebration on St. Anthony's Day also attracts followers of syncretism , in which Catholic saints represent divine beings of the Yoruba . The figure of Anthony stands for the Orixa Ogum (Lord of iron, war, agriculture and technology).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Capoeira Filhos de Ghandi: Santo Antonio é protetor. In: Capoeira song. Monitor Negão, January 16, 2015, accessed December 18, 2016 (Portuguese). 
2. ^ Capoeira Song: Santo Antonio é protetor. In: Capoeira Song. barquinha de Noé, December 8, 2016, accessed December 18, 2016 (Portuguese).