Basilica of St Anthony

Anthony of Padua died in 1231 and was canonised within a year; construction began almost immediately and produced a building that mixes Romanesque, Gothic and Byzantine ideas, with eight domes, two slender towers and a bell tower, unlike anything else in Italy. The saint's tomb is in a marble chapel lined with relief panels, and pilgrims file past touching the stone. Donatello made the high altar bronzes and the equestrian monument to the condottiere Gattamelata that stands in the square outside, the first large bronze equestrian cast since antiquity. Padua residents often call the building simply il Santo.

What you actually see

• The eight domes - a skyline mixing Byzantine and Gothic forms.
• The tomb chapel - a marble chapel where pilgrims file past the stone.
• The Donatello bronzes - high altar reliefs and figures inside.
• The Gattamelata - the first large bronze equestrian statue since antiquity.

When to go

Year-round; 13 June, the saint's feast, brings the largest crowds. Services run through the day and access pauses during them. Dress code applies.

Honest expectations

It is a working pilgrimage church with devotional priorities and heavy crowds at the tomb. Photography is restricted. The treasury keeps separate hours.

Nearby

The Scrovegni Chapel lies north; Prato della Valle is west.