Italian Catholic devotional ephemera, authorized Padua, 1901

Oration / Prayer Card to St. Anthony of Padua

Italian devotional prayer card to St. Anthony of Padua, formally approved by the Episcopal Curia of Padua in 1901. Features imagery of the Basilica of Sant’Antonio and the relic of St. Anthony’s tongue, with the complete Italian prayer invoking healing, protection, and recovery of lost things.

Recto features engraved devotional imagery associated with Anthony of Padua:
– ‘Lingua di S. Antonio’ (the relic of St. Anthony’s tongue)
– Basilica of Sant’Antonio, Padua
– Cappella del Santo
– Funerary imagery and Latin devotional text (‘Vide Dominum Meum’ / ‘Beati Mortui Qui in Domino Moriuntur’)

Verso prints the full Italian prayer ‘Orazione a S. Antonio di Padova’, invoking St. Anthony for healing, recovery of lost objects, spiritual aid, and protection.
At foot: Ex Curia Episc. Patav. dic. 25 Nov. 1901.
Visto Bertapelle p. v.

This indicates formal ecclesiastical approval by the Episcopal Curia of Padua, dated 25 November 1901, a strong authentication point and not present on later devotional reprints.

Physical Description: Single-sheet devotional card, letterpress text with engraved imagery, printed on cream stock with scalloped (deckled-style) edges, consistent with late-19th/early-20th-century Italian holy cards produced for pilgrimage and devotional use. Small-format holy card (likely intended for missal or personal devotion). No mount. No later lamination.

Condition: Clean, complete, and legible. Light even age-toning; no tears or losses. Edges intact with expected minor handling softness.

St. Anthony of Padua remains one of the most widely venerated saints in Catholic practice, particularly associated with healing, protection, and the recovery of lost items. Holy cards issued with diocesan approval were commonly sold or distributed at pilgrimage sites—especially Padua—but many were heavily handled, carried, or discarded.

Cards retaining clear episcopal authorization statements and legible imagery are increasingly sought by collectors of Catholic ephemera, Italian devotional printing, and relic-associated material.

The reference to the Lingua di Sant’Antonio connects the card directly to one of Catholicism’s most famous relics, enhancing devotional and historical interest.

Item #21360

Price: $18.00