St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

church in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

. Named in honor of Anthony of Padua, it falls within the jurisdiction of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington The Diocese of Wilmington ( la, Dioecesis Wilmingtoniensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the eastern United States and comprises the entire state of Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland (i.e ...

and is operated by the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. It is situated in Wilmington's

Little Italy Little Italy is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian culture. There are ...

neighborhood, where the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

includes St. Anthony's School (adjacent to the church) and Padua Academy. Every June, the church runs an Italian Festival, a week-long event which celebrates the Feast of Saint Anthony. This festival features four outdoor cafes, each with their own live entertainment, and unique food selections. The Festival is the second-largest of its kind in the United States. Admission fees were established for the first time in 2008. The

Romanesque revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

architectural style owes its inspiration to the

Basilica di San Zeno The Basilica di San Zeno (also known as ''San Zeno Maggiore'' or ''San Zenone'') is a minor basilica of Verona, northern Italy constructed between 967 and 1398 AD. Its fame rests partly on its Romanesque architecture and partly upon the traditio ...

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city municipality in the region and the second largest in nor ...

, Italy. and Italian immigrants who settled in the area took seven years to construct the building. Construction was led by Ernesto DiSabatino who later founded EDiS Company and received the Papal Cross of Honor

Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice ''Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice'' ("For Church and Pope" in Latin) is a decoration of the Holy See. It is currently conferred for distinguished service to the Catholic Church by lay people and clergy. History The medal was established by Leo XIII o ...

for his efforts for the construction of the church. The church was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1984.

Gallery

File:St Anthony of Padua church 6.jpg, The altar and pulpit of the Church File:Beau biden funeral wilminton.jpeg, The funeral of

Beau Biden Joseph Robinette "Beau" Biden III (February 3, 1969 – May 30, 2015) was an American politician, lawyer, and officer in the Army Judge Advocate General's Corps from Wilmington, Delaware. The oldest child of current U.S. president Joe Bi ...

in May 2015 at the church

References

External links

St. Anthony's Church

NRHP Site Listing with Photos

St. Anthony's Italian Festival web site
Roman Catholic churches in Wilmington, Delaware Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Delaware Italian-American history Italian-American culture in Delaware Romanesque Revival church buildings in Delaware National Register of Historic Places in Wilmington, Delaware {{US-RC-church-stub

Gallery

See also

References

External links