Book launch of «Secret Anthony. The strength of a saint»

Public presentation of the historical novel Secret Anthony. The strength of a saint [António Secreto. A força de um santo], by Nicola Vergo who, after the original publication in Italian, now has an edition in Portuguese, with the seal of Paulinas Editora.

«The book takes the reader back to a captivating time, rich in great fervor and religious conflicts that laid the foundations of Europe and modern thought. It is a historical novel in which the life of one of the greatest saints of Christianity is told: Santo António de Lisboa - Pádua. In the book, a «secret Antonio» emerges, that is, an intimate one, with his problems, his crises, his paths and his internal reflections... António moves through intricate personal experiences and difficult choices, wars and interests. politicians, theological disputes and corrupt prelates, defense of the poor and the fight against usury and the arrogant», reveals the publisher.

Based on authentic documents and texts written by Saint Anthony himself, the Italian edition, published by Edizioni Messagero Padova, was historically supervised by Luciano Bertazzo, director of the Center for Antonian Studies and professor of Church History at the Faculty of Theology of Triveneto. Luciano Bertazzo states that «during the writing of the novel, historical research revealed some unpublished details of the Saint's life which, if confirmed by later studies, could constitute a very valuable discovery».

Nicola Vegro is a film director, screenwriter, documentary and short-film author on the reality of youth, Italian emigration to the United States, popular and religious traditions.

The Portuguese edition was translated by Maria da Graça Ferrão and was supervised by Friar Severino Centomo, a Franciscan and editor-in-chief of the magazine O Mensageiro de Santo António.