St Anthony is a patron saint of Portugal and this church is very important to the natives of Lisbon.

According to the legend, this church was built on the site of the house where St Anthony was born. A simple chapel existed here since the 15th century. King Joao II commissioned a large temple, which was completed during the rule of Manuel I, partially destroyed by the earthquake and rebuilt in 1767-87. There is a statue of St Anthony just outside of the church, which is now under restoration.

The church has a rather simple façade and a very impressive neo-classical altar with some late baroque features like a large gilded staircase with an urn behind the statue of St Anthony with infant Jesus. Beautiful marble décor of ceiling with pink and yellow marble and white plaster vignettes. On both sides of the altar there are chapels with paintings of several saints including St Francis and St Joseph. Above the entrance on the balcony there is an organ that looks like a collection of trumpets. On the left side of the church near the altar there is an entrance to the crypt of St Anthony. Before the entrance to the crypt there is a sacristy with beautiful yellow and blue azulejos. Along the staircase leading into the crypt there is a tile commemorating the visit of the Pope to the chapel in 1982.