The story goes that the 1755 earthquake almost completely destroyed the Church of Saint Anthony, sparing only the crypt, the high altar and the image of Saint Anthony that still survives today, and that the entire population of Lisbon indebted themselves to raise funds for its reconstruction. Collections from the faithful in Lisbon and the oratories scattered around the city were combined with donations that arrived from all over the kingdom to rebuild the church, allowing for mass to go on uninterrupted. It is said that the children of the city also wanted to participate and that they built small thrones or altars which they left on people’s doorsteps asking for the traditional “cinco milreizinhos para Santo António” [five pennies for Saint Anthony], which over time turned into “um tostãozinho para Santo António” [a nickel for Saint Anthony], and finally “a coin for Saint Anthony”.
By the 20th century, the Lisbon City Council was promoting the popular competition of Saint Anthony’s thrones which is still deeply embedded in the local memory of the people of Lisbon today. The beginning of the festival in Lisbon is still marked by the exhibition of Saint Anthony’s thrones, which adorn every neighbourhood in the city.