15. St Anthony of Padua’s tongue is still on display in the Italian city, nearly 800 years after he died.
Although a native of Lisbon, St. Anthony (1195-1231) is most closely associated with the city of Padua in northern Italy, where he spent the final years of his short life. He actually came to Italy by accident, after his ship was blown off course on its way back to Portugal from Morocco, where he had gone to preach to locals as a Franciscan friar. But once in Italy, he never looked back. After becoming an accomplished theologian, Anthony made his name unleashing inspirational sermons that won the Catholic Church many new members and set lapsed Christians back on track.
Hailed as a ‘jewel case of the Bible’ by none other than the Pope himself for his exquisite sermons, the relics of St. Anthony are not coincidental. He was canonised with astonishing rapidity within a year of dying from ergot poisoning, and when his body was exhumed in 1263 to be reburied his famous tongue was found to be wet and the only part of his body yet to decompose. It was hailed as a miracle, removed to a reliquary and, whilst it is anything but moist these days, can still be seen at the Basilica of St. Anthony.