Diverse as they are, all are participants in the annual Tres Tombs de Sant Antoni Abat: the ‘three turns’ procession that takes place in honour of the patron saint of animals. The festival is celebrated in towns and cities the length and breadth of Catalunya on or around Sant Antoni’s day on January 17th.
Much of what is known about Sant Antoni—who also goes by the name Saint Anthony the Great, Anthony of Egypt, Anthony of the Desert and the Father of All Monks—comes from a biography written by Athanasius of Alexandria in 360 CE.
Antoni, who was born in Egypt in 251 CE, came from a wealthy family but gave away everything he had after hearing Jesus’s words: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Antoni spent most of the rest of his life living as a hermit in the desert where, legend has it, he managed to resist various temptations sent by the devil. Scenes of these temptations were later depicted by artists such as Hieronymus Bosch and Salvador Dalí in paintings, both entitled ‘The Temptation of St Anthony’, while Gustave Flaubert wrote a play with the same name about the trials and tribulations faced by the saint as he sought to achieve a true form of worship through isolation.
During his long life—he died at the age of 105—Sant Antoni was credited with a number of miraculous healings and became much sought after by people looking for advice, with a community of followers growing up around him.
He was a lover of animals, healing their wounds if they were injured. It is said that one pig, on being healed by the monk, decided to show its thanks by staying with him for the rest of his life and for this reason Sant Antoni is often depicted with a pig at his side.
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