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By Tiago Reis, Ra-Ro co-founder · Authors
About 3 min read
Some saints are prayed to in silence, and some are celebrated in the street, among basil pots, grilled sardines and popular marches. Saint Anthony belongs firmly to the second group. It was precisely that festive, popular, deeply human spirit that Porfírio Mendes chose to carve in cork, the most Portuguese material of all.
Who was Saint Anthony, the saint of Lisbon?
Saint Anthony was born in Lisbon in the 12th century, under the name Fernando de Bulhões, and died in Padua, in Italy. A Franciscan, a tireless preacher and a friend to the poor, in Portugal he became known as the Matchmaker Saint, the one people turn to for the love they are missing. That is why June, the month when Lisbon honours him, is also the month of popular weddings and of festivities that fill the city's historic neighbourhoods.
Few saints inspire such tenderness and familiarity. Anthony is not a distant figure: he is the saint of neighbours, flowered balconies and street games. Preserving that closeness was the starting point for the piece we present here.
Why carve a saint in cork?
Cork is a living material. It comes from the cork oak, it breathes, it is light to the touch and it holds the memory of the plains of southern Portugal. By choosing cork to represent Saint Anthony, Porfírio Mendes makes a double statement: that the sacred can be earthly, and that Portuguese tradition deserves materials that belong to it at the root.
Working cork by hand is not easy. It is a material that forgives little and demands reading, patience and respect for the grain. Every cut is final. Every volume must emerge from the block itself. The result is a unique piece, impossible to reproduce exactly, as happens with everything that is truly handmade.
Where does the irreverence of Porfírio Mendes lie?
The irreverence lies in the gaze. Porfírio Mendes reinterprets classical figures with humour, warm colours and an expression that escapes the usual solemnity. His Saint Anthony does not scold: he smiles, winks and invites conversation. He is a saint who seems more at home on a June terrace than in a chapel of silence.
This freedom is not a lack of reverence. It is another form of devotion, closer to the people who have always addressed Anthony on familiar terms. By bringing colour and lightness to an iconography that is usually austere, the artist gives the saint back what Lisbon always recognised in him: joy.
A rare piece worth saving
At Ra-Ro we are dedicated to rescuing Portuguese artisanal products at risk of disappearing and to telling their stories. A sculpture like this brings together everything we stand for: a material with deep roots, a manual skill that is hard to pass on, and a cultural identity that deserves to stay alive. When you buy one of these pieces, you are not simply taking home an object. You are taking a gesture, a memory and a little of the soul of June in Lisbon.
If you would like to see this warm, irreverent reinterpretation up close, discover the Santo António em cortiça and let yourself be surprised by the humour of Porfírio Mendes.
