Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Taumaturgo (Church of Saint Antonio Taumaturgo), Trieste

The Church of Sant'Antonio Taumaturgo ("Miracle Worker") is the largest Catholic Church in Trieste. The church, dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua, is located on the huge Sant'Antonio Nuovo Square, facing the Grand Canal.

The first church at this location before the middle of the 18th century was a private chapel dedicated to the Annunciation. It was too small to accommodate worshipers. It was soon replaced by a new church named Sant'Antonio Nuovo. Completed in 1771, the new church also proved too small. A competition to design a new church was held in 1808.

Neoclassicist architect Pietro Nobile won the competition. Work was slow, and the church was not completed until consecration in 1849. The facade holds an imperial-looking portico with six Ionic columns and a massive unadorned pediment.

On the main facade are six statues of the patron saints of Trieste, Saint Giusto, Saint Sergio, Saint Servolo, Saint Muro, Saint Eufemia, and Saint Tecla, sculpted by Francesco Bosa. The rear facade has twin bell towers. The enormous interior features barrel arches and vaults. In the apse is a fresco of Jesus Entering Jerusalem by Sebastiano Santi.

Six lateral niches hold altarpieces showing Saint Anna and the Virgin Child, by Michelangelo Grigoletti; The Presentation, by Felice Schiavoni; Saint Anthony in Glory by Odorico Politi; the Martyrdom of Saints Euphemia, Erasma, Tecla, and Dorotea by Ludovico Lipparini; and the Crucifixion by Joseph Ernest Tunner.