Sant'Antonio da Padova in Via Merulana, Renaissance Revival basilica in Esquilino, Italy

Sant'Antonio da Padova in Via Merulana is a brick church in the Renaissance Revival style, set on the Esquiline hill in Rome, reached by a broad staircase rising from street level. The interior is divided into three naves by pink marble columns, with side chapels arranged on two levels along the walls.

Designed by Luca Carimini and built between 1884 and 1888 for the Order of Friars Minor, the church replaced the friars' convent at Santa Maria in Ara Coeli, which was cleared for the Victor Emmanuel II Monument. Cardinal Lucido Maria Parocchi consecrated it on 4 December 1887. Pius XI raised it to minor basilica in 1931, and John XXIII made it a titular church on 12 March 1960.

The adjoining buildings house the Pontificia Università Antonianum, the Pontificia Accademia Mariana Internazionale and the Collegio Internazionale S. Antonio, seat of the Fraternità Gabriele Allegra. Among those who frequented the basilica are Aldo Moro, Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val, who here consecrated Bishop Dionysius Antonius Schuler in 1911, and the blessed Gabriele Allegra. During the persecution of Rome's Jews, Saul Israel, father of Giorgio Israel, found refuge here.

The church sits on Via Merulana in the Esquiline neighborhood, within easy walking distance of several metro stops. Visitors enter through the top of a wide exterior staircase, so comfortable shoes are helpful when exploring this part of Rome.

The octagonal bell tower is covered in polychrome and gilded majolica tiles, a type of decoration rarely seen on church towers in Rome. This contrast with the plain brick of the rest of the building makes the tower one of the more unexpected details in the neighborhood.