The Church of St. Anthony of Padua has been the main parish church in Tivat since 1734 when it was built in the village of Tripovići. The church was built on the foundations of a much older building, situated in a striking complex with the priest’s house and a commercial building situated next to the church, within the paved entrance, surrounded by a low stone wall. One can see almost all of Tivat from the churchyard.
Saint Anthony of Padua was the official patron saint of this town since the start of the 18th century. Previously, the official patron of Tivat was Sveti Simon, whose baptismal name is marked and celebrated by numerous families.
The Church of St. Anthony of Padua is an architecturally harmonious stone structure with clear characteristics of provincial baroque. It is characterized by an elongated base, with a semicircular apse and the outside is completed in a square form. From the wider side of the entrance portal to the front of the church are a few arched windows. The eight-layer stone rosette, above the main door, is richly decorated and the top of the facade is a three-part arched bell tower, which is designed with decorative scrolls. Inside the church compound the longitudinal walls of the vault is further enhanced by a molded plaster cornice and niches for paintings and statues of the saints.
There is an altarpiece of St. Peter and Paul with the Heart of Jesus on the north wall of the church from 1818, it is the work of the Italian neoclassic painter Francesco Potenza. The standing figures of the saints with the symbols are displayed on the picture in the foreground, with the angels above their heads. The altar area is decorated in the late Baroque style. There is an alcove with an image of the church patron – St. Anthony of Padua with the angels above the basilica, set in draped plaster. In the vault of the apse, depicted in plaster, are four evangelists with their attributes, and in the center – God. In addition, there is an altar of Our Lady of the Rosary, on the south wall of the church with an excellent Russian icon of the Virgin Mary with Jesus from the 19th century, in a gilded frame.
Other than this, there are two small churches dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua in Tivat – the parish church in Lepetane and a small chapel in Belani, in the area of the medieval aristocratic summer house of the family Pasquali from Kotor. Saint Anthony of Padua, which is one of the most important saints of the Roman Catholic Church, was born in Lisbon in 1195 and died on the 13th of June 1231 at Padua. Although from noble origin, he went to the monastery from an early age and was quickly ordained as a priest. He was briefly in North Africa, but he returned home due to disease. After the death of St. Francis in 1226, at the Assembly of the Franciscans, he was elected as Provincial of the extended province of Bologna in northern Italy thereby gaining further recognition and respect while many believers believed that he had the power of saints and miracles to help the poor and sick.
Every evening at 8 pm you can listen to Ave Maria melody. It has been chosen because Holly Mother (Saint Maria) has a special place in catholic religion and a lot of people`s prayers are addressed directly to her. The way it works is simple – electronically controlled bell tolling mechanism.
We have recorded one for you.