Anthony was just over twenty years old when, during a liturgical celebration, he heard the Gospel of Matthew 19:21: “If you want to be perfect… go, sell what you have…” Shortly after, he heard another verse sung, Matthew 6:34: “Do not worry about tomorrow…” These words touched him so deeply that he decided to embrace a life of solitude and asceticism. He gradually withdrew farther and farther from his village of Coma in central Egypt.
It is worth remembering that this took place at the dawn of Christian monasticism. The way of life Anthony chose was that of the hermit, but even during the more than eighty years he lived it, he never lost contact with the Church. He even returned twice to Alexandria—the first time to encourage the Christians persecuted by Maximinus Daia. His reputation for holiness continually drew Christians from all over the East: monks, pilgrims, the sick, priests, and bishops who sought his advice. Even Emperor Constantine and his sons corresponded with him. Around him, disciples eventually gathered.
The metropolitan of Alexandria, Saint Athanasius, visited him often. In the famous biography he wrote, Athanasius describes in detail not only Anthony’s way of life but also his inner struggles. Toward the end of his life, Athanasius persuaded Anthony to go to Alexandria to exhort the faithful to remain firm in the faith of Nicaea. Athanasius knew that no one could influence the people as powerfully as the humble hermit.
Anthony died around the year 356 at the age of 105. According to his wishes, he was buried in a secret place. His tomb was not discovered until 561, during the reign of Justinian. His relics were brought to Alexandria and later to Constantinople, and some were eventually taken to France.
Anthony is the most renowned monk of the early Church. Though he founded no community and wrote no rule, his influence was immense, thanks to his chosen way of life and his personal holiness. His figure impressed Saint Augustine himself, who first heard of Anthony through the Christians of Trier.
Saint Anthony has always been venerated throughout the Church, often as the patron saint of domestic animals. He is frequently depicted with a pig at his side. This tradition began in the Middle Ages, when a religious order took him as their patron. They introduced the custom in many parishes of raising a pig that was allowed to graze freely in the fields, wearing a little bell to distinguish it, and then slaughtered on Anthony’s feast day for the benefit of the poor.
