St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church (Wilmington, Delaware)

St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic church in Wilmington, Delaware. Named in honor of Anthony of Padua, it falls within the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington and is operated by the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. It is situated in Wilmington's Little Italy neighborhood, where the parish includes St. Anthony's School (adjacent to the church) and Padua Academy.

St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church
The entrance to the main church building sanctuary.
LocationWest 9th & North DuPont Streets, Wilmington, Delaware
Coordinates39.752593°N 75.566747°W / 39.752593; -75.566747
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1924
Architectural styleRomanesque Revival
NRHP reference No.84000851[1]
Added to NRHPMay 3, 1984

Every June, the church runs an Italian Festival, a week-long event which celebrates the Feast of Saint Anthony. This festival features four outdoor cafes, each with their own live entertainment, and unique food selections. The Festival is the second-largest of its kind in the United States. Admission fees were established for the first time in 2008.[2]

The Romanesque revival architectural style owes its inspiration to the Basilica di San Zeno in Verona, Italy.[3][4] Italian immigrants who settled in the area took seven years to construct the building. Construction was led by Ernesto DiSabatino who later founded EDiS Company and received the Papal Cross of Honor Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice for his efforts for the construction of the church.[5]

The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.[1]

  • The altar and pulpit of the Church
  • The funeral of Beau Biden in May 2015 at the church

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Loudell, Allan (2008-06-16). "Postmortem on Saint Anthony's Italian Festival". WDEL. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2009-05-29. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. Balducelli, Roberto (2001-11-17). "St. Anthony's is an artistic treasure trove". About Town. Retrieved 2009-05-29. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. Alan Hawk (December 1983). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Old St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church". and Accompanying 17 photos
  5. "St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church". National Park Service. The general contractor, Ernest DiSabatino, was very active in the church and was awarded the Papal Cross 'Pro Ecclesia et Pontice' by Pope Pius XI in 1930 in recognition of his work for the welfare of the community and for the church.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.