The Museum of Popular Devotion collects votive offerings (ex-voto) donated by devotees to the Basilica as a token of gratitude for graces received through the intercession of Saint Anthony: tokens which give witness to long desired births of children, escapes from road accidents, healings, candles, the small habits of children dressed as little friars, etc.
These numerous testimonies of faith and love clearly demonstrate the magnitude of devotion to Anthony in addition to offering an interesting documentary on the evolution of fashion and taste through the centuries.
The museum also contains the copies of a number of famous reliquaries, such as the one donated to Leo XIII and preserved in the Vatican Museums, or the one donated to Lisbon in 1968. They give witness to the centuries-old tradition of the friars to donate relics of the Saint, but only after much deliberation and careful scrutiny of the recipient. The museum also contains a silk painting of a ‘si quaeris miracula’ in the Chinese language.
Where it is:
Along Blessed Luca Belludi Cloister
Opening hours:
Tuesday to Friday: 9.00am-1.00pm
Saturdays and Sundays: 9.00am-1.00pm/2.00pm-6.00pm
Closed on Mondays, Christmas, New Year's Day and Easter
Entrance: a single ticket allows access to the Anthonian Museum, Donatello in the Basilica and the Museum of Popular Devotion. € 2,50 - reduced € 1.50 (students, over 65s, groups of at least 10 people)